Suffolk’s charity and voluntary sector is facing a perfect storm as a sharp increase in demand on its services coincides with a significant fall in income, and a serious decline in volunteer numbers. These are the findings of the 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 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.
The difficult financial picture is also reflected in statistics from 360 Giving Grant Nav, the body that publishes grant data. It reports the average funding grant in Suffolk fell by 49 per cent in value from £108,078.98 to £53,113.06 year on year, and the number of awards fell by 77 per cent.
The Community Action Suffolk survey finds the four biggest costs are energy bills, other utilities, staff salaries and essential supplies. This does not take into account the increase in employer National Insurance contributions yet to fully take effect.
Yet despite the stark financial picture painted by the report, the resilience of VCFSEs remains, with most organisations well versed in responding to challenging situations, with many adapting and developing to meet new needs.
The fall in 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. Many (27 per cent) say they are delivering services that they believe are the statutory responsibility of other organisations.
In response to the increased call on services, many have expanded service provision that has resulted in the need for additional volunteers, upskilling of staff and volunteers, the introduction of new services, and establishing partnerships with other organisations. While these actions are all positive steps, they do come with additional costs.
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. Most are confident they will meet the increased responsibility in the coming 12 months, though some say they are having to raise any charges they may make, or terminating or suspending some service provision, while others have extended waiting lists.
The third of the top three major challenges identified by the research, 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 reluctance to have volunteers under the age of 18. Partly this is due to the complexities of heightened safeguarding and work compliance. The most common reasons for younger people to volunteer is participation in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme, and work experience placement.
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.
However, help in the recruitment of volunteers is available. Community Action Suffolk has a specialist team of advisors within its Volunteer Suffolk department, which provides a wide range of support, from one-to-one hands on guidance, to running practical on and offline courses. Volunteer Suffolk can be particularly useful as a substitute for groups without inhouse recruiting experience or knowledge, which applies to the majority of Suffolk’s charity and voluntary sector. All are welcome to utilise Volunteer Suffolk as much as they need to get volunteer numbers to the level needed, but as Hannah Reid explains, they do need to come forward to identify their needs first.
Community Action Suffolk has a team of volunteer experts that have devised effective strategies for recruiting volunteers. It has proved time and again that it can make a positive difference in boosting volunteer numbers, but it needs VCFSEs to come forward to receive help. To find out more contact Home – Volunteer Suffolk
The same is true of many other aspects of operations VCFSEs are experiencing problems with. Community Action Suffolk provides comprehensive support over a broad range of essential areas, including one to one management coaching and guidance.
In addition, it is assisting VCFSEs to gain greater support from the business community. Our Outcomes For All conference in October is focused on bringing companies and charities together for the benefit of both groups. The event will have emphasis on how the commercial and charity sectors can work together to increase the effect of company social impact strategy, and at the same time help meet charity objectives, including joint working and promoting staff volunteering.
