Although many small charities work within a local community, you’ll recognise the importance of communicating your impact across as vast a landscape as possible. Increased awareness of your work fosters increased support, from the public, other political stakeholders and policy makers themselves. Increased support gives rise to boosted influence, better funding and stronger opportunities to continue your core efforts. Yet, when you’re concentrating on doing what you do best in the local community, it can be difficult to understand where your audience can be found, and how to encourage them to support your cause. Perhaps the true difficulty is entirely within that second part: thanks to social media, locating potentially sympathetic individuals has become easier. The problem is it has become easier for everyone, and getting the public to support you, specifically you, is a more nuanced challenge than ever before. With 90% of MPs active on Twitter, charities and campaigning bodies are rightfully heading to social media to communicate their messaging. Online, however, social media visitors aren’t settling down at a desk for the long read, ready to pay full attention: they’re scrolling through, passing by, stopping to get off the train, pausing to unpack a hurried lunch on a bench. You’ve got seconds to get people interested, to make them remember you, and you’ve got to do this knowing that they’re not reading but skimming. They’re glancing your way, and you need to make them look. This is why short animated videos work: they give us something to look at and remember. 65% of us identify as visual learners, meaning we want to see what you mean, not read it, and with videos performing on Twitter six times better than images, we want to see something that can keep up with our impatient attention spans. With videos on social media autoplaying by default, the animation arrives on screen before the viewer has decided to scroll on, the message is shown, not told, and by finishing with a link to your website or campaign, the viewer is encouraged to learn more about the cause you’ve dangled intriguingly before them. Plus once you’ve got someone’s attention, you can pack much more information into a 20-30 second video than in a static image, or in a paragraph of text - at least in a paragraph that someone is going to finish reading. Animated content stands out in the jostling social media sphere, and utilises the best ways to achieve engagement. Such clips take care of engaging the larger crowd, and you can focus on the crucial local work. Joy Dempsey is a Sales Development Representative at Senate Media, helping charities and campaigning bodies to increase engagement with their key messages, using animation. Get in touch: visualcontent@senatemedia.co.uk   

On September 16th, I will swim 10K down the River Dart to raise money for Womankind, an amazing organisation supporting women in the Bristol area to improve their mental health and well-being so they can experience a better quality of life. It's a long way to swim and this summer amidst the sun and fun, I’ve been fitting in long training swims. I thought it would be a nice thing to share reflections of the training process, which could be applied to all sorts of physical challenges…here are my 5 top tips for taking on a physical challenge! Planning and recording your progress can be a real motivator. I follow a training plan and make enough time in my week to do the training session fully! I write down what I’ve done and looking back at this is a good psychological boost. Take snacks. I don’t know about you but swimming makes me peckish! If I’m doing a long session, a handful of nuts here and there makes it more manageable. I forgot to bring anything one session and by the end of it I was basically doing doggy paddle with jelly arms! All the gear can be a good idea! Buy equipment and training gear to make it more comfortable and easier. It took me weeks to find the right wetsuit, and a neck protector has helped prevent painful friction burns on the neck. Raise money for a cause you believe in- it will motivate you and help you push through those tricky training milestones. It’s amazing the number of excuses ‘that voice’ comes up with for shortening a training session or not doing it at all, but for me the stronger voice that overrides is the one saying ‘think of why you are doing it’- Womankind is an organisation I believe in, and this gives me strength. Have fun and enjoy the scenery along the way! It’s easy to start obsessing over distance and taking it too seriously, but it’s important to have a sense of humour and make it into a positive experience. Outdoor training, especially with others can be a wonderful activity so embrace this as well as the more serious task of ticking off training swims. With this physical challenge, I’m aiming to raise £1000 for Womankind and it would be great if you could support me to complete the swim! You can read more about my challenge at the link below: https://localgiving.org/fundraising/10kfor1kforwomankind/. Thanks in advance and good luck with your physical challenge!  

  Localgiving ambassador, Bright Light Bright Light has announced that he will be supporting seven Localgiving groups during his tour of the UK in September. Welsh born electro-pop musician, Rod Thomas (AKA Bright Light Bright Light), known for his work with Elton John, Erasure and his stunning performance on the Graham Norton Show, has always been passionate about supporting small, local charities. As an independent artist, Rod feels a real affinity with grassroots organisations. He sees his tour as an excellent opportunity both to bring in funds and raise the profile of his chosen causes. As Rod explained: “The best thing about touring is engaging with local communities and the people who try to make a difference within them. I worked with Lewis Garland of Localgiving to find charities in each city on the tour so that I could raise awareness of their fantastic work and help them out with donation collections at each of the shows. These charities are working hard to address issues where they live and make a real difference, and I want to do everything I can to help them.” Rod has chosen one Localgiving member to support for each of his upcoming tour dates. 20th Leeds : RETAS 23rd Bristol : Borderlands 24th Cardiff: Pride Cymru 25th Manchester: The Proud Trust 27th Glasgow : Theatre Nemo 28th Birmingham : Aston Performing Arts Academy  29th London: Gendered Intelligence For each date, Rod handpicked Localgiving causes that were both close to the venue and close to his heart – these include LGBTQI+ groups, refugee focussed charities and arts organisations.  There are two ways you can donate to his causes: Donate online by clicking on the charity name listed above (this will also give you the option of adding GiftAid). Remember to let us the group know you're a Bright Light Bright Light fan in the comments box! Make a cash donation at one of Bright Light Bright Light’s tour dates (Book tickets here) In the clip below Bright Light Bright Light explains why he feels supporting local charities is so important.  Found this blog interesting? You may also enjoy: Shining a Bright Light on Local Charities Fight for the right of LGBTQI asylum seekers

Janine Edwards is Head of Consultancy and Development at the FSI, a charity that specialises in supporting small charities.  She provides training and consultancy across a range of impact and organisational development areas. Over the past few years the terms ‘outcomes’ and ‘impact’ have been heard increasingly across the charity sector and being able to demonstrate them is now vital. Funders, supporters, volunteers, trustees, and numerous other stakeholders are now, more than ever, interested in the impact your charity has. Not just what you do but what changes you make as an organisation. The challenge for small, local charities is how to do this effectively and efficiently, when they do not have the resources of their larger counterparts. At the FSI we regularly train and deliver consultancy projects helping small, local charities measure and demonstrate their impact more effectively. I am always amazed at the range of reasons why people want to develop in this area. A lot want to develop better relationships with funders and donors, many want to check their programmes are working and are as effective as possible, and others want to engage volunteers, trustees or staff in a more meaningful way. However with so much information out there it can be difficult to know how best to approach it. For whatever the reason you are looking to measure and demonstrate your impact, here are some practical, and we hope useful, tips and tools: 1. Get definition savvy If you’re not already familiar with the different terms it’s important to know what each of them is referring to so that you know exactly what you are measuring and what it means.  Outcomes are generally defined as the changes (positive or negative) that occur as a result of your work, which is experienced by your stakeholders. Inspiring Impact have a useful glossary available to download on their website. 2. Focus on outcomes New Philanthropy Capital published research a few years ago that showed even the largest charities overwhelmingly report on outputs rather than outcomes. It is a much more engaging story to talk about outcomes and what changed as a result of your interaction with your beneficiaries. Instead of saying we trained X people in the last year, you want to be able to demonstrate how that training made a difference to them. Keeping asking why – if they gained skills and confidence because of the training, why is that important? Did it help them secure or maintain a job, or perhaps travel independently or to administer emergency first aid and potentially save someone’s life. Sometimes the outcomes can be really hard to measure, but if you are not at least thinking about it then you are almost certainly not able to communicate and demonstrate the full value of your work. 3. Develop an impact measurement framework There are many different models you can choose from and it is important to find one which works for your organisation. At the FSI we use Logic Models and you can find a great resource guide from Evaluation Support Scotland on how to develop your own. We have also found tools like the Charities Evaluation Service (CES) Planning Triangle helpful. Importantly, whatever option you choose, you should describe your activities, inputs, outputs and outcomes, your outcome indicators and how you will measure them. You may want to go one step further and identify the need your work is addressing, the enabling factors that are important for your work to be successful and the assumptions you have made in your model. 4. Decide what to measure – and how With your framework in place you should know what your outcomes are, you then need to decide which of these are the most important for you to measure and identify your outcome indicators and measurement.  Often this will not involve redesigning your whole system but simply tweaking what you already do by, for example, inputting a few extra questions to the evaluation forms or putting in place a follow up call to previous clients.  It can be helpful to look at what measurement tools other charities are using, particularly those doing similar work to you, to see if you can adapt or use these in your own work. 5. Collect quantitative and qualitative data This will help you tell a more compelling story. Use statistics and quotes to appeal to both the head and heart. Using quotes will help you demonstrate the difference you make using your beneficiary’s direct words which can be very powerful. This previous blog for Localgiving from Becky Slack provides some great tips on storytelling. 6. Share your impact far and wide! Your annual report is a good place to start – all too often the annual reports I read include the same variation on last year’s review, with a focus on activities, outputs and the finances. This is a great place to start but remember the readership will be narrow. Identify the key statistics and stories and show them on your website, in social media, your newsletters and in other communications. There are so many ways you already communicate with stakeholders so don’t forget to miss the opportunity to share and inspire them with  your impact. NfpSynergy provide four great examples from charities including a great example of sharing impact via social media from Barnardos Scotland. Found this blog post useful? You may also like:      How digital can help small charities navigate their challenges Civil Society Strategy: Localgiving's Response How charities can use images to appeal to donors and supporters

In our Local Charity and Community Group Sustainability Report 2017/18 we stated that new Civil Society Strategy and the consultations leading up to it represented a “real opportunity to identify the key needs of the local voluntary sector and to begin to develop the informed, substantive support programmes necessary to help local charities sustain themselves and flourish”. We are encouraged by the government’s recognition of the vital role that local charities and community groups play, and will continue to play, in tackling our society’s most pressing issues. We are pleased to see this strategy addressing many of the concerns and recommendations we have highlighted in our reports. It is positive to see the government directly recognising the importance of ‘place’. Societal issues manifest themselves differently in different communities. It is therefore essential that ‘local players’ are involved in the decisions that will affect them in a meaningful way. We are particularly interested in seeing how the government will go about stimulating cross-sector collaboration at the local level. The need for digital upskilling is rightfully at the heart of the strategy. While there have undoubtedly been strides forward in recent years, local charities and community groups continue to lag behind in this area. This strategy recognises the role that technology can play in reducing the considerable funding disparity between large and small organisations.  We are aware of the important role we can play in this upskilling process and in helping to build a better resourced, more efficient and more effective local voluntary sector. It is also pleasing to see the government seeking to alleviate the fears that many of our members have voiced about campaigning and publicly advocating for the needs of their beneficiaries.This having been said, the strategy could have gone further by revising the Lobbying Act and ending the use of anti-advocacy clauses. Local groups are uniquely positioned to understand the impact of economic changes and political decisions on the ground - it is vital that this knowledge is used to inform policy. This strategy certainly gives us grounds for optimism. However, its true value will only be seen when words become actions. Of course, the success of this strategy will ultimately rely on the government providing the sector with adequate, timely, and appropriately channeled resources. We look forward to working alongside the government to implement this strategy and where necessary holding them to account.  

Localgiving’s Local Charity and Community Group Sustainability Report shows the amount of pressure that small charities are under. I was concerned to read that only 47% of the UK’s local charities and community groups are confident they will survive beyond 5 years. It is worrying to hear how these groups are stretched to breaking point, and how many of them are shouldering the burden of increased demand; 78% of groups reported an increase in the need for their services over the past 12 months. What could help local charities in this situation? As resources are stretched even more thinly, what could help them save money and time? I’m a passionate believer in the power of digital to help small charities, and that’s why we’ve created best practice specifically to help them in The Charity Digital Code of Practice. The Code aims to increase motivation and confidence in using digital for all charities. We’ve worked closely with the Charity Commission, Small Charities Coalition, NCVO, ACEVO, Office for Civil Society, Tech Trust and others to develop a framework for success. By following it we hope that charities will be able to increase their impact, grow skills and collaborate more with others We know from Lloyds Business Digital Index that highly digitally capable charities are twice as likely to save time and to see an increase in donations, and ten times as likely to save costs. A brilliant example of this is how NAVCA (themselves a small charity) ,rebuilt how they worked by putting digital at their core. The whole team now work remotely, and they use a number of online platforms such as Breathe HR, which helps them manage appraisals, leave and absence, and Xero, I’ve also seen where small, local charities can miss out if they don’t use digital. My kids go to a school just around the corner from us, where the PTA (who are a charity) are trying to raise funds from parents and the local community for a new library. They decided to put on a fundraising dinner. Great idea, right? Yet they didn’t offer a way for parents to donate to the library fundraising campaign online, which very sadly meant not enough people donated and the dinner needed to be cancelled. Local charities will need to find new ways to raise money amidst further cuts to public funding. Making it quick, easy and simple for people to give will help, or they could potentially miss out. I’ve worked with many local charities and support several in my area, and I have seen first-hand the difference they can make in their communities. Localgiving report’s shows how local charities need our support, and that their sustainability should be a priority or our communities will suffer. Digital could help them build on the amazing work they do, freeing up time and money so that they can do what they do best. The Charity Digital Code of Practice is open for consultation until 25 September 2018. Read the draft Code and get involved.  If you enjoyed this blog you will also like: Localgiving report highlights Brexit uncertainty Employee volunteering and Localgiving's report  

Amid the special edition rainbow bank cards and coffee cups, it is very easy to forget that today’s Pride celebrations have their roots in the Stonewall riots and the wider fight for justice for LGBTQI+people. There is no doubt that there have been incredible strides forward for LGBTQI+ rights over the last quarter of a century  – indeed the very fact that is has become so beneficial for big business to show its support for Pride is testament to how far we have come. However, we must not be fooled into believing the fight is in any way won. Homosexuality remains illegal in 74 countries, while hate crime and day-to-day prejudice remain issues even in the most progressive countries. Within the UK, one particularly pressing issue is the fight to protect the rights and ensure the wellbeing of LGBTQI+ asylum seekers. This week, I spoke to Leila Zadah of the UK  Lesbian & Gay Immigration Group (UKLGIG) about their work to support LGBTQI+ asylum seekers and  advocate for their needs and rights. What is UKLGIG's mission and what support do you provide to LGBTQI+ asylum seekers?  "Our mission is to support LGBTQI+ through the asylum process. We are the only charity in the UK that provides specialist support services, legal advice and information, and conducts policy and advocacy work. We provide psychosocial and practical support to LGBTQI+ people throughout the asylum process. We also provide specialist legal advice and information. We visit LGBTQI+ people if they are claiming asylum and have been placed in a detention centre. We also advocate for changes in Home Office policy and practice, including an improvement in the quality of decision-making in asylum claims based on sexual orientation or gender identity, an end to the detention of LGBTQI+ people and safer accommodation." How many  LGBTQI+ people seek asylum in the UK per year and where do the majority of these claims come from? "Home Office figures published in November 2018 revealed that around 2,000 people apply for asylum each year because of their sexual orientation. Most applications are from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria. The Home Office data did not include claims on the basis of gender identity but they have committee to publishing that data in future." Why do LGBTQI+ people need specific support through the asylum process? In what way does the UK asylum system  disadvantage LGBTQI+ people? "LGBTQI+ people who are seeking asylum are invariably highly marginalised in society. They may have been rejected by their families, friends and communities because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. They often wish to avoid places where other people from their home countries are present for fear of discrimination or harassment; and they are not always welcome in LGBTQI+ spaces because of racism or their immigration status. Many experience feelings of profound shame and/or internalised homophobia, biphobia or transphobia. Many have also experienced psychological, physical or sexual violence. They often have low self-esteem and low confidence, which impact on their ability to present their asylum claims. Most mainstream refugee organisations do not provide specific services to LGBTQI+ asylum seekers or information tailored to their needs. Claiming asylum on the basis of your sexual orientation or gender identity is inherently difficult. To be recognised as a refugee, you have to show that you have a well-founded fear of persecution. If your fear of persecution is based on your sexual orientation or gender identity, you also have to prove that you are lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, trans or intersex. This would be difficult for any person, but it is even harder if you have been trying to hide your sexual orientation or gender identity because your family, society or country won’t accept it and may harm you. It is also very difficult to overcome feelings of shame and internalised homophobia, biphobia or transphobia to be able to talk about your identity – particularly if any discussion of sexuality is taboo in your culture – to a figure of authority who is going to decide if you can stay in the country. Unfortunately, sometimes asylum decision-makers in the Home Office use stereotypes to try to decide if someone is LGBTQI+. Sometimes they don’t recognise the importance of cultural context. One caseworker in the Home Office once said that to try to establish someone’s sexual orientation they would “look at how they’ve explored their sexuality in a cultural context – reading Oscar Wilde perhaps, films and music”. UKLGIG is releasing a report later this month that looks at the reasons why LGBTQI+ asylum claims are rejected. People can receive it by signing up to our newsletter or following us on social media (see below). People who are seeking asylum are not allowed to work. If they need accommodation, the government will normally provide a shared room in a shared house. LGBTQI+ people in shared asylum accommodation often experience discrimination, harassment and abuse from their housemates.  People who are seeking asylum can also be held in immigration detention centres. LGBTQI+ people who are seeking asylum find themselves trapped among people who may exhibit the same prejudices and discrimination towards them as people in the country from which they are fleeing. Our joint research with Stonewall, No Safe Refuge, showed that they experience harassment and abuse as a result. Many suffer long-lasting effects on their mental health." What are you doing to celebrate Pride 2018 and can people join you? "We will be marching at Pride in London on Sat 7 July. We also have a joint event the Amnesty UK LGBTI Network and African Rainbow Family at UK Black Pride on Sunday 8 July." How can people support your work in future?  We are always looking for Volunteers and you can Donate Here. If you’d like to be involved in our governance, you can become a Member of UKLGIG. Download a form Here.   People can also: Visit our website Sign up for our newsletter  Follow us on Twitter @uklgig Like our Facebook page 

Over the last year, the UK's impending exit from the European Union has had a significant impact upon the organisations working at a grassroots level to support their communities. However, the impact of Brexit is yet to be understood. Localgiving’s 2017/18 Local Charity and Community Group Sustainability Report highlights the uncertainty and fear of negative consequences of those working in the charity sector in Northern Ireland. Each year our report provides a snapshot of the local voluntary sector in the United Kingdom, highlighting both the unique value of local charities and the key challenges they face. Now in its third year, this report demonstrates the widespread uncertainty about the impact of Brexit on the local voluntary sector across the United Kingdom, with only 2% of organisations in the UK feeling that Brexit will have a positive impact on their organisation. The report, however, shows deeper concerns are particularly prevalent among charitable groups in Northern Ireland where there is widespread uncertainty about Brexit’s implications: ‘Derry is border city. Our whole community will be impacted by Brexit as we will become isolated. This will impact our service users, all of which lived through the closed borders of the troubles. The uncertainty for the future adds to the stress our service users experience. And we will not be able to access EU funding and the other opportunities being in the EU brings’ - Anonymous Charity Respondent 64% of Northern Irish respondents to our survey believed Brexit would have a negative financial impact compared to an average of 24% across the whole UK. What is particularly alarming is the fact that no groups in Northern Ireland believed Brexit would have a positive financial impact. In terms of future service delivery to the Northern Irish public, the results were equally disheartening. 50% of groups said Brexit will have a negative impact on services they can provide, and again no groups saw Brexit as having any positive effect on service delivery. ‘Our organisation operates in Armagh city and surrounding area, regarded as a border town. Some of our members and those who attend our events come from the nearby town of Monaghan. After Brexit, this will mean that they will have to leave the EU to attend events and classes and vice-versa. We believe that there can only be a detrimental effect to the organisation as it may lead to a decrease in cross-border activities. While our organisation was never in receipt of funding directly from Europe, we believe that funding will now be refocused along the line of the European frontier. It will, therefore, become harder to source funding from the south of Ireland’. - Anonymous Charity Respondent As Localgiving’s report highlights the decision for the UK to leave the EU, compounded by the fragile political situation in Northern Ireland, has created an atmosphere of concern and uncertainty across civil society. ‘The potential impact of Brexit on groups in Northern Ireland is a major concern. Local charities and community groups have a unique, in-depth understanding of their communities. It is absolutely essential that the voices of civil society groups in Northern Ireland, particularly those representing border communities, are carefully listened to, and used to inform key decisions’’. - Lewis Garland, Localgiving 2017/2018 Local Charity and Community Group Sustainability Report Author What is clear is that there is increased strain on future service provision and anxiety about future funding streams across the third sector in Northern Ireland. Given the suspension of the Executive at Stormont, it is imperative that the European, British, and Irish governments, and Northern Ireland’s political parties, work to allay the fears disclosed by Northern Irish civil society in this report. Conor Kelly is the Localgiving Training & Development Manager based in our London office. You can download the Localgiving 2017/18 Local Charity and Community Group Sustainability Report here.  

Do the three lions have you purring with pride or are you primed for a month of watching paint dry?  Either way, football will be dominating the headlines until mid-July and your charity or community group should be making the most of the opportunities it brings. Whether you are looking to highlight serious human rights issues or simply making the most of the energy in the air – it’s worth taking the time to think about how the World Cup can be tied in with your cause or fundraising effort. 1) The sad reality is that many of the countries at this year’s World Cup suffer from serious human rights issues. For example, this year’s host, Russia, has seen as escalation in racism, homophobia and a crackdown on press freedoms in recent years. Leading human right groups have expressed fears that President Putin will use the World Cup to ‘sportswash’ Russia's image. The World Cup is a chance to show these issues the red card. Just a few social media posts can help bring these issues to the fore and encourage people in your community to get involved.  2) Every time there is a major sporting event there is a brief period in which we see a surge of kids out into the parks and playgrounds emulating their heroes.  Grassroots sports clubs should do their best to harness this energy and get these kids involved with their work long term. Why not set up a screening of a match, a mini world cup or penalty shoot out at your club and use it to distribute  information about your club, recruit new players or fundraise? 3) With a little thought, any charity or community group can find a way of using the World cup to promote their cause or help hit their fundraising goals. Whether you arrange a charity lunch of 'World Cup cuisines' or a 'wear your kit or colours' day – there are no end of possible ways you can turn this month’s football fever into a fundraising frenzy. We look forward to seeing the amazing ideas that your group come up with! When promoting your campaign or event on social media, remember to use one of the World Cup's official hastags ( #WorldCup, #Russia2018, #CM2018 or #Copa2018) and also include a hashtag relevent to your local area such as the name of your nearest city or town.  

Alex Swallow is Director of Communications at Ethical Angel which seeks to transform the relationship between the private and non-profit sectors. He has a long history of working at and for charities including as the Founder of Young Charity Trustees. I wanted to add my thoughts to Localgiving’s excellent Local Charity and Community Group Sustainability Report 2018- specifically with reference to volunteering and how working with businesses might be able to help. I have three key points to make and will reference the research with respect to each. They are: Volunteering is always going to be a key part of the charity sector; charity staff at local charities are being forced to be ‘jacks of all trades’; and many local charities currently miss out on the ‘accumulator effect’ of learning new skills. Volunteering is key ‘Local charities and community groups are largely led by volunteers and reliant on their skills, time and passion. 59% of Chief Executives in the sector are volunteers, as are 65% of fundraising staff and 63% of finance staff. We estimate that the financial value of volunteers in the local voluntary sector lies between £7.5 and £10.5 billion per year.... 82% of groups with an annual income under 10k are run entirely by volunteers’ The Report, as many other pieces of research have before it, provides incontrovertible evidence that volunteers make a fundamental difference to the life of the charity sector in this country. The smallest charities rely entirely on them, the biggest charities couldn’t do without them either. Despite the fact that so many people volunteer for charities, there are still so many others who don’t think of it as an option. One way to empower such people is through employee volunteering- where their employer encourages their volunteering effort through time off work and other support. Jacks of all trades ‘Paid staff in the sector are often asked to juggle multiple roles from project management to marketing to admin’ I know from my own time working at a small charity how many things you can sometimes be expected to juggle. In my very first role, for example, I could legitimately answer a phone request for ‘the Fundraising/Development/Communications Departments’ with the honest answer ‘You are speaking to him’. By necessity and through hard work, many paid people who work for small charities do find ways to be jacks of all trades and masters of at least some. However, it can be tiring, demoralizing and plain inefficient for people to have to cope on their own with so many competing areas. This is where skilled volunteers come in. As well as helping with specific areas, thus freeing up the paid staff to do other things, they can train and familiarize the staff with new skills so that previously daunting areas of their work hold less fear for them. Which brings me to my next point... The accumulator effect ‘Year on year, local charities have cited skills gaps as a major barrier to engaging with new technologies and opportunities. As addressed in the Fundraising and Marketing chapter, 71% of groups feel they lack the skills to run a successful marketing campaign’ By the accumulator effect I mean that if you are able to take advantage of certain areas - for example new technologies- then your growth and your impact can be exponential. Conversely if you engage with such technologies later than your peers (in this case, other charities, competing for attention and resources) you are more likely to be left behind. This is a key area in which private businesses- who have the money to invest in the latest equipment and training, have a lot to offer. In many cases businesses are very keen to engage with and support good causes- there are many benefits to them doing so- as we have outlined here - and their customers are becoming ever more demanding about their social engagement with the wider world. If we can match these businesses up with good causes that need their skills it will have a real impact. So, what does this all mean? It is clear that local charities are facing enormous pressures and that something needs to be done. As the report says: ‘Fewer than half of the local organisations surveyed are confident that they will survive beyond 5 years’ Employee volunteering can provide a key way to help with this. Recommendation 8 of the report is that Inter and intra-sector collaboration should be encouraged: ‘Collaborations not only help local groups financially (resource pooling etc.) but can also open doors to wider networks, strategic alliances and help amplify their voice’ Let’s make that happen! To learn how Ethical Angel can help you get more business volunteers, take a look at our site here.