Suffolk’s Charity and Voluntary Groups Facing Perfect Storm

Suffolk’s charity and voluntary sector is facing a perfect storm as a sharp increase in demand on services due to government cuts coincides with a significant fall in income, and a serious decline in volunteer numbers.

These are the findings of a comprehensive study of the county’s Voluntary, Charity, Faith and Society Enterprise (VCFSE) sector undertaken by Community Action Suffolk and Suffolk Community Foundation.

The research is based on 196 responses to a 46-part questionnaire covering all key aspects of VCFSE function, operations and future outlook. The results reveal that finance is the biggest challenge, due to a major fall in income and soaring costs, which has resulted in cutbacks to services in some cases.

Some organisations say they have unexpectedly had to fall back on financial reserves, while 44 per cent report they do not meet the three-month money reserve threshold, and seven per cent have no reserves at all. The situation is made more difficult due to the vulnerability of the small size of many organisations, with nine per cent having an annual income of less than £10,000, 72 per cent less than £100,000, and only four per cent generating £1 million or more.

These findings are reflected in the Charity Commission’s figures for Suffolk VCFSE outgoings, which rose by £48.5m in the last financial year. Figures do not take into account the increase in employer National Insurance contributions.

‘There’s no avoiding the fact that there has been a large, and real terms drop in income across Suffolk’s vital charity, voluntary and faith groups, but many have made great strides to overcome challenges, and will continue to do so,’ says Hannah Reid, Chief Executive of  Community Action Suffolk, which is the infrastructure and support organisation for the county’s VCFSE sector, and is itself a charity.

‘Our message to those that feel under financial pressure, or pressure of any kind, is to come to us sooner rather than later because there are things we can help with that could make a difference.’

Suffolk Community Foundation, the county’s other major VCFSE support group, also a charity, is correspondingly providing extra assistance.

‘We are talking to our fundholders about offering larger grants, and for core costs where we can. There are many generous individuals and businesses in Suffolk, so if you are interested in learning more about how you can donate to make a difference in your local community, we would love to hear from you,’ says Hannah Bloom, Chief Executive.

The fall in charity and voluntary group revenue coincides with many government services being cut or depleted, and charities and social enterprises are having to step forward to fill the gap. More than 60 per cent of those surveyed say they have experienced an increase in both demand and complexity of services, and expect the increase in demand to continue for at least the next 12 months. Nearly a third say they are delivering services that they believe are the statutory responsibility of other organisations.

The majority of survey respondents confirmed they have been able to meet the additional volume and complexity of demand with some difficulty, or with little or no difficulty.  However, a significant minority said they had not, with some saying they are having to raise any charges they might make, or terminate or suspend some services, while others have extended waiting lists.

‘Many charities increased their service provision during the pandemic when more funding and volunteer help was available,’ says Hannah Bloom. ‘Both have since decreased significantly, yet the demand for charitable services is increasing, which has caused a squeeze for many wonderful voluntary organisations in our county.’

The other major challenge for charity and voluntary groups, is the drop in volunteer numbers. During Covid, volunteering grew rapidly and changed in terms of age dynamic as the traditional older help force made way for younger demographics keen to make a positive difference during time of crisis. However, since then the number of volunteers has rapidly declined with the majority once again being more mature in age.

According to the Charity Commission, Suffolk charities have 223,585 registered volunteers, though because this is an officially documented figure, the actual figure is likely to be higher. But despite what appears to be a large volunteer base, the number is not high enough to meet needs, and 50 per cent of survey respondents feel it has become more difficult to recruit volunteers, plus a similar percentage feel it has become more difficult to both recruit and retain volunteers.

The survey reveals that the reasons for declining volunteer numbers are lack of time on the part of individuals and general life complexity, and that organisations do not have the finance to implement recruitment and retention campaigns, or create supporting communications strategy. Also, identified as a concern is the return of volunteers being from older age groups, that in part is due to the county’s aging population.

The research found that 25 per cent of Suffolk’s volunteers are 65 plus, and 64 per cent are aged 51 or more. But there is nervousness to have volunteers under the age of 18. Partly this is due to the complexities of heightened safeguarding and work compliance.

The types of roles organisations need unpaid help with are mostly in support roles for service delivery, such as befriending and facilitating drop-in centres. This is closely followed by practical hands-on support, such as decorating, guidance on the use of IT and gardening. Fundraising is the third most often required role.

‘We have a team of experts that have devised proven strategies to recruit volunteers, but we are limited in what we can do if we are not asked to step in,’ says Hannah Reid. ‘We have proved time and again that we can make a positive difference in boosting volunteer numbers, but what we really need is for VCFSEs to come forward.’