Charities & Covid-19: demand up, fundraising down

This morning, I was part of a panel assessing the latest applications we have received for Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation's Emergency Funds.

I'm so grateful to all of the people and organisations who have donated to the Fund. I am equally grateful to all of the charities that have submitted applications - there is SO much brilliant work happening to help people in Bedfordshire through this challenging period. The video below from Luton Foodbank is a great example of the sort of thing I have been reading about from charities across the county.

None of us expected a global pandemic to hit us but there are so many small charities that have reacted quickly to keep their services running as best they can.

Demand for so many services is up. Yet, at the same time, many small charities are seeing a fall in their income. One of the applications talked about just how much money they have missed out on because the community fundraising events that they planned haven't been able to happen.

If you'd like to donate to our Emergency Fund so that we can ensure small charities can meet the current demand you can donate here.

If you work or volunteer for a charity and have seen a similar sudden drop in your income, no matter where you are based, the event below may be useful...

Voluntary Voice is hosting a FREE Q&A with public fundraising expert Sarah Goddard. Sarah will be online to answer any of your questions and share her thoughts about community fundraising during these unprecedented times.

Sarah Chairs the Institute of Fundraising's Community Fundraising Special Interest Group and is a Public Fundraising specialist. She has 13 years' experience in the sector (starting out in Face to Face), and is passionate about communicating personally with supporters; valuing their relationship with the charity above all else. 

You can sign up for free here.