A report into how charities and charitable organisations in York are coping during the pandemic has confirmed fears that the sector is reaching a crisis point and needs additional support now in order to survive.
Findings from the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) Sector Resilience Follow-up Survey found that two in three organisations in York reported that they are not sustainable beyond 12 months, with one in three organisations having used over half, or all of their reserves over the past six months to continue to deliver vital services across the city.
York CVS, alongside other voluntary sector partners across Yorkshire and Humberside, first issued a survey in April to find out about the immediate impact of the pandemic on the local VCSE sector. A follow-up survey was issued in October to continue to monitor the impacts of the pandemic on the sector. York CVS reviewed the data for the city and has published the COVID-19 VCSE Sector Resilience Follow-up Report, which indicates that the sector is reaching a crisis point as demand for services has increased yet organisations are having to make significant cost savings by reducing staff numbers.
Key Findings:
- 43% of respondents said that they are not sustainable beyond 6 months – 72% do not expect to be financially sustainable beyond 12 months.
- Only 7% of organisations saw their earned income remain the same with 88% of organisations seeing a decrease in their earned income.
- One in three organisations [33%] have used their financial reserves over the past six months. Of those who have used their reserves, a quarter [25%] have used between 51%-100% of their reserves.
- One in five organisations [19%] reported that they now employ less staff than pre-COVID. Of these organisations, one in five organisations [20%] reported seeing a 26% – 75% reduction in paid staff.
Alison Semmence, Chief Executive at York CVS, said:
“If we don’t act now, we’re going to lose vital local charities and the services they provide within York, and it will have a devastating impact on the most vulnerable people within our communities.
We’re continuing to work closely with charities and charitable organisations in the city to ensure they receive the support they need. If your organisation is struggling, please get in touch with us – we’re here to help!”
York CVS are calling for any available resources, including funding and other capacity, to be directed towards the sector immediately to ensure services are not lost. They are working with voluntary sector partners across the country to influence national government to provide support for a wider range of organisations until post COVID-19 arrangements are established.
Taking action:
As part of the report we have issued a list of recommendations for partner organisations and outlined the actions we will be taking as an organisation to support the sector.
Going forward, we want to ensure that the sector and key organisations, including the local authority, local and national funders and the wider system of commissioners are aware of the real time needs of our local VCSE sector. By this, we mean taking a more proactive approach to collating intelligence about how the sector is doing within the city; ensuring organisations receive the support they need, when they need it.
On a fortnightly basis, we’ll be contacting our members to ask them 6 questions about how their organisation is doing; what resources they need, what is working well (and not so well), and what their concerns are going forward. From this information we’ll produce a fortnightly briefing which will be shared with the sector and our key partners to help shape real time support for the sector.
Support for your Organisation
We are continuing to provide training, workshops and information on issues raised by you, and we are continuing to provide practical one-to-one support to organisations so please continue to contact our Funding and Development Officer, Jane Granville via: jane.granville@yorkcvs.org.uk if you need support – we’re here to help!