Wiltshire Community Foundation asks for more donations and support
Warning issued over unstable local charities' finances, as the Foundation braces for a turbulent 2021
Last updated 29th Dec 2020
Charities who have lost thousands of pounds in fundraising because of COVID-19 face an even harder year ahead, according to the head of the UK's community foundations.
It's feared that some grassroots voluntary groups might not survive without financial help.
'Local charities are teetering on a funding cliff edge'
Rosemary Macdonald, Chief Executive of the UK Community Foundation, was with Wiltshire Community Foundation until earlier this year:
"What we are hearing loud and clear from our network of community foundations is that local charities across the UK are teetering on a funding cliff edge.
"Without urgent intervention before the end of the financial year, we can expect many thousands of local charities to be pushed over the precipice".
Rosemary is full of praise for the work of community foundations like Wiltshire's.
It has launched response funds, helping groups cope with the immediate fallout from the pandemic and is now supporting their long-term preparation:
"Without the contributions of staff members, volunteers and donors, hundreds of thousands of people would have been left without access to hospice care, food distribution, mental health support, legal advice and much more.
"In this time of unprecedented hardship for many, emergency funding has made a huge difference to people's lives".
In Wiltshire, the Coronavirus Response and Recovery Fund has so far raised almost £1.2 million and distributed nearly £1 million.
It was kick-started in March in response to the need for urgent help, as charities and voluntary groups were forced to adapt their services online.
The Response Fund aided the local distribution of food and stayed in touch with isolated residents, whilst simultaneously losing thousands of pounds in fundraising.
'Foodbanks were running out of supplies'
Fiona Oliver, who become joint Chief Executive at Wiltshire Community Foundation in March, said:
"It was a perfect storm. Groups were being asked to help more people than ever before at a faster rate, just as they were losing volunteers or being faced with having to furlough staff.
"Others, like Wiltshire Sight or mental health charities whose work depended on face-to-face contact, were forced to adapt how they operated just to stay in touch with the vulnerable people who were being left isolated, afraid and at risk".
The Foundation's small team found itself working flat-out to process the applications, streamlining a process that normally takes weeks into days.
The Chief Executive added:
"We knew we needed to get the money out quickly because the need was so immediate. Foodbanks were running out of supplies because donations, in the main, had plummeted.
"Groups like Ipsum the mental health charity, The Samaritans, needed new equipment and extra staff costs to take their services online and over the phone with their staff and counsellors working remotely.
"The Youth Adventure Trust, and the Wiltshire and Swindon Scrapstores were among dozens of groups supporting isolated young people at home, helping parents who were struggling with home education and keeping teenagers off the streets".
'People have responded to this crisis far more generously than we ever thought possible'
Fiona has responded to the continued support and funding:
"We are incredibly thankful and humbled by the support from the people of Wiltshire and the trusts and businesses that have supported us. People have responded to this crisis far more generously than we ever thought possible.
"We are well aware there is a huge challenge as we head into 2021 and are still uncertain about what the early months of the year will bring. But we know that both the charities and voluntary groups and those that support them have amazing resilience and that gives us tremendous hope".
The fund grew quickly due to the generosity of people across Wiltshire and support from the National Emergencies Trust.
Companies such as the Oakfield Development in Swindon, Zurich, Wessex Water, Thames Water and Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson contributed. An initial target of £50,000 was surpassed within the first week.
So far, more than 180,000 people have benefitted from over 200 grants issued to groups across our region.