Since March 2020, the charity sector has faced challenges like never before. Not only have the traditional fundraising activities had to cease, but consumers and businesses are reining in their budgets, which makes fundraising efforts doubly difficult, something which is especially concerning in light of the increased demand that many people are putting on charitable initiatives.  

While some are already geared up for working from home, for many it is a completely different working style that takes some getting used to. We’ve been doing it since early 2020 at Robertson Bell, and with a few adjustments, we have found we can adapt quite quickly to this ‘new normal’.

This year here have been some shocking stories outlining the dramatic effect the pandemic is likely to have on the future of many charities and third sector organisations. The Institute of Fundraising, the NCVO and The Charity Finance Group have revealed that charities expect to lose almost half of their fundraised income at a decline rate of 48%.

The past year has resulted in huge uncertainty throughout the UK and the rest of the world. Ours and our families’ health, wellbeing and education are all at risk, and so are many of our jobs. The working landscape is volatile, and we’re all faced with an uncertainty that hasn’t been seen since the recession of 2008 where 1.31 million people were made redundant.