Over half seen interest in volunteering rise – with over a quarter unable to cope with the demand
According to a survey from Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales, over half (56%) of charities have seen interest in volunteering opportunities increase. Medium sized charities with incomes of £101k - £300k have experienced the greatest level of interest.
The survey of over 650 small to medium sized charities across England and Wales shows, however, that over a quarter, (28%) are unable to meet this demand due to the limited resources and budgets they have available. This is particularly so for smaller sized charities.
Linda Kelly, Chief Executive of the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales said: “These results reflect the fact that volunteering is not ‘free’ and while volunteers may themselves be unpaid, they still require support, training and expenses so they can assist their organisations to the fullest extent. We recognise this, and through our Community Programme, invest in the development of volunteers in these organisations.”
In 2011, the Foundation celebrated 25 years of supporting lasting change for people and communities throughout England and Wales. Over this period, it has invested over £300 million in over 42,000 charities which support those most disadvantaged in our communities. Over the last three years the Foundation’s investment has directly supported over 12,000 volunteer roles.
85% of those surveyed have also seen an increase in demand for their services, with a third experiencing a significant rise of over 25%. Nearly half (44%) of those surveyed say they are now unable to meet this extra demand due to the extra pressure on available resources.
There is a strong concern amongst charities (77%) that there is a lack of adequate support from both central and local Government. 40% also feel that the private sector isn’t providing appropriate support and over a third (36%) feel that other statutory organisations are poorly supporting charities at this difficult time.
88% of community based charities surveyed say they need core funding to support core costs and organisational costs more than any other type of financial assistance at this difficult time. Despite this, 89% found it significantly harder to secure support for this type of funding during 2011 and 91% believe it will be even harder to secure core funds this year, with 60% thinking it will be significantly harder to secure.
Linda Kelly, Chief Executive of the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales said: “The Foundation is one of only a handful of grant makers in England and Wales that provides support towards much needed core costs.”
“We will continue to support core costs in 2012 and beyond, and hope other funders will do the same so that organisations can remain proactive, resilient and resourceful, whilst still being able to focus on serving those most in need and the communities in which they live.”
