Overview

  • Small charities were more likely than large charities to perceive an increase in demand in the first quarter of 2021 and not have the capacity to meet it.
  • In 2017/18, small charities a majority of small charities (85%) reported anticipating an increase in demand over the next 12 months.
  • For the charities that expected demand for their services to increase, the majority (61%) did not feel sufficiently resourced to meet this demand.

What are charities’ perceptions of demand for their services?

  • Overall, small charities were more likely than large charities to perceive an increase in demand in the first quarter of 2021 and not have the capacity to meet it.
  • Nearly half (48%) of charities with an income of under £100k were expecting an increase in demand, without the capacity to meet it.
  • Charities with an income of £500k-£1m were most confident to meet increased in demand for their services.

How do small charities anticipate demand for their services?

  • In 2017/18, the majority of small charities (85%) reported that they expected demand to continue to increase over the next 12 months.
  • They were more likely to be expecting an increase in demand for their services than in previous years.
  • Similarly, a majority of small charities reported that demand for their services had increased over the past 12 months in 2015, 2016 and 2017/18 respectively.

How well resourced do charities feel to meet demand?

  • In 2017/18, for those charities who expected demand for their services to increase in the next 12 months (85%), just under a fifth (17%) felt able to respond to this demand increase.
  • The majority (61%) of small charities did not feel sufficiently resourced to meet this demand.

Related Insights

insights

Small charities and digital technology

Explore data on how important digital is to small charities and their support needs

Find out more
insights

Main challenges facing small charities

Explore data on the main challenges facing small charities, from raising income to workload

Find out more

Further reading

Localgiving 2015-2017/18 Local Charity and Community Group Sustainability Reports 2015, 2016, 20176/18