Volunteering and small charities

Abstract

Emerging evidence from the voluntary sector in the UK provides an insight into the devastating impact of COVID-19 on charities’ finances, staff, volunteers and service provision. At the same time, many charities are reporting significant increases in demand for their services, with domestic violence, animal welfare, mental health and wellbeing, and homelessness charities being particularly affected in what has been described as a ‘perfect storm’ for the sector. It is smaller charities that are really feeling the brunt of these pressures. These charities often play a vital local role in addressing health and social care need and the social determinants of health, through local service provision, but also importantly as engines of human and social capital. This chapter examines the evidence around how charities – particularly through volunteering – play a significant role in addressing social determinants. It reviews the emerging evidence of the impact of the pandemic on charities, focused very much on the resulting effect on volunteering and also on the social determinants of health. Finally, it makes the case for significant changes in the way the central and local government uses its commissioning and procurement functions to ensure that the voluntary sector is not totally decimated by the pandemic.