Charities in the Bailiwick are facing significantly increased challenges as demand for their services grows and available resources – people and money – are under greater pressure.
In a recent survey, 41% of charities in Guernsey and Alderney reported increased difficulty in recruiting or retaining volunteers, with a third of these being general volunteer roles such as drivers, catering, customer service and organising activities.
It is estimated that the local sector needs to raise £100 million annually for their running costs, however 29% of charities reported a shortfall in the previous 12 months. 49% of all the charities who responded anticipate a change in terms of their services and activities over the coming year, with 23% also expecting to increase their services to meet a rise in demand. 26% of charities anticipate having to redesign their services to remain financially viable.
In response to these pressures, charities in the Bailiwick are coming together to launch an awareness campaign #WithoutUs.
The sector-wide campaign, the first of its kind, aims to show the general public the impact that charities directly and indirectly have on the lives of almost everybody in the Bailiwick.
In particular, the campaign aims to highlight the impact that a loss of these services could have on islanders. The campaign is being managed by the Association of Guernsey Charities, whose Chair, Wayne Bulpitt commented: “In many ways the recent survey confirms what we already know, that the Bailiwick community is very philanthropic in its attitude and thinking, with approximately 30% of our population aged 16 and over volunteering in some way, giving in total the equivalent of 670 full-time roles over the course of a year. Additionally, a significant amount of the £100m needed by the charitable sector is funded by the public.
“It is well understood that charities fill the gap between what the government can provide and what the population needs. We have seen the demand on services is increasing; we need to ensure that everybody is aware of the impact that charities have on our lives and what might happen in the potentially worst case scenario of our charities ceasing to exist.
“Of course we want islanders to have the ‘feel good’ factor of donating and volunteering, but we also need to communicate that without money and volunteers, charities are not sustainable.
“The aim of the campaign is therefore to improve the understanding of the impact that the Bailiwick’s third sector brings to the islands and to educate key stakeholders, whether that be government, business, community leaders and the public on how they can help the sector to survive and thrive and meet the needs of our community.”
“We have been delighted to work with Black Vanilla and Two Degrees North to develop the campaign in consultation with our members and the financial support of the States of Guernsey to co fund with us. It aims to:
- Shine a light on the ‘gap’ – what would happen if a charity were to cease to exist? Where would Guernsey be without the charity?
- To showcase the depth and breadth of charitable work on the islands. To show the impact charities make on our lives.
- Give all charity leaders a clear and consistent voice about their shared challenges and create a ‘golden thread’ that knits the fabric of our sector together.
The creative narrative has a fun feel to it, which stops it from being overly negative whilst still showing that charities fill a critical gap, providing vital services that islanders need every day.”
The campaign has a dedicated website, which has been developed by volunteer, Michelle Champion, which informs the general public about the campaign, the impact that charities have on all our lives and highlights a number of ways in which they can get involved, whether an individual, group or community organisation/business.
Wayne Bulpitt added: “To community and business leaders and to the community as a whole we have a simple call to action – ‘Please support charities to help them survive and thrive’.”
