This Small Charity Week, Islington Giving proudly joins the annual celebration which recognises the vital and valuable contributions small charities make to communities across the UK.
96% of voluntary organisations in the UK are small charities (under £1m annual income), and 80% of all voluntary organisations have an income of under £100k per year. Small Charity Week celebrates and raises awareness of the essential work of the UK’s small charity sector, which makes an invaluable contribution to the lives of millions of individuals, communities, and causes across the UK and the rest of the world.
Small charities “are the glue that help hold communities together.” They plug the gaps left by other organisations, are often the first responders to people in crisis, “creating safe, familiar spaces where people can receive practical support or be quickly linked to other local services because of the charity’s local networks.”
~ (Recent report by IVAR)
In Islington, small charities are the backbone of our community. Islington is a borough of two halves, with some of the wealthiest areas in London as well as wards with some of the highest rates of child poverty in the country. Being smaller means small charities are agile and can pivot to respond quickly to new and emerging needs. But it can also leave them more exposed to challenges.
Working through a coalition of local people and organisations, Islington Giving exists to ensure these small charities can continue to provide vital services in Islington.
The challenges small charities face
Cost of living pressures, layered on top of the lasting effects of the pandemic and years of austerity means inequality in Islington is widening. With more people struggling to make ends meet, demand on small charity services continues to increase. In parallel, costs of delivering services are going up and raising funding is more challenging, with increased competition and inflation eroding the value of income (Small Charity Week).
With their flexibility, energy, and deep understanding of our community, small charities are repeatedly at the heart of our response to crises – including during the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis. They are known for their ‘open door’ approach, being led by people with lived experience and closely reflecting the diversity of their local communities through their staff and volunteers.
According to New Philanthropy Capital’s State of the Sector Report 2024, the risks leaders most frequently listed which may stop them achieving their missions were: Insufficient funding, rising costs and recruitment and retention of staff.
~ New Philanthropy Capital’s State of the Sector Report 2024
Islington Giving and parent charity Cripplegate Foundation work with over 150 charities delivering in Islington every year. We are now seeing more small charities forced to close their doors due to lack of funding.
How you can get involved
We are proud to be part of this year’s Small Charity Week to recognise the power of small charities in our local community. Taking part is not only a chance to say thank you but also an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of supporting local charities through donations, fundraising, and volunteering.
Throughout the week, Islington Giving and our parent charity Cripplegate Foundation, will be sharing stories of the incredible small charities we work with in Islington. We invite members of the community to join us in celebrating and supporting the resilience of small charities, by sharing these stories, engaging on social media, volunteering locally, donating or fundraising!
“I love being a part of Islington Giving! We know our money is going to brilliant grassroots organisations in our neighbourhood that we would find hard to discover by ourselves, and we can be confident that our donations are going towards issues we care about – the future of young people, families struggling, loneliness. They’ve made it incredibly easy for local people to make a difference, creating an Islington community that is better for everyone in it.”
~ Sarah, Dom, Leonie & Jesse, Long-standing Islington Giving supporters.
