Source: gratisography.com
If you can name two or more local charities, you’re part of only 10% of the public that can – that’s according to research carried out by TSB Bank as reported by Civil Society.
The survey of 1,000 people revealed:
- Half felt local charities play an important role in their community
- 10% were able to name two or more local charities
- 73% had donated to a national or international charity
- 20% said they only found out about local charities when their family or friends needed their support
This might have important implications for smaller organisations that might feel they lack the clout of bigger, national charities and struggle to get their voices heard. The story talks about obvious effects on the fundraising power of local charities – better known charities that easily spring to mind may find it much easier to raise donations, run fundraising and awareness campaigns and perpetuate a cycle that makes it harder for local charities to ‘compete’. But from this small sample, can we infer that those people that value local charities would like to donate to causes closer to home, if only they knew about them?
But for me it’s also local charities’ ability to raise public support which may not be purely financial; raising awareness, unlocking in kind donations, sharing resources and recruiting volunteers are all easier if an organisation and its work is well known.
So, here’s a couple of questions for you:
- Can you name more than two Dudley borough charities? If so, what’s the great work that they do and how would you like to celebrate them?
- How can local charities with minimal resources increase public awareness?
- What do you think about the idea that support from local businesses could help with this?
Dudley CVS blog 
Mayor’s Charity, Dudley CVS, Community Centres, Victim Support, Beacon for Blind+ dozens of others
Publicity, events, photos, meeting details, contact details.
Some local business already do support, but many more could be involved
Hi Tom,
Thanks so much for taking the time to read and respond to this. I found the research pretty staggering, but it got me thinking that if I didn’t work for Dudley CVS, would I be able to name two or more local charities, and I’m not sure whether I would! We’re in a really privileged position to know of so many wonderful organisations that do amazing work in our communities. I think our sector as a whole could do more to raise awareness and engage with more of the public and businesses and I’m really pleased to say there’s work in the pipeline to address this.
Best wishes,
Becky
Reblogged this on Volunteering Counts in Dudley borough and commented:
Can you name two or more local charities?
Without VOLUNTEERS, Dudley MBC or any village, town or city, could not function effectively, without the range of services and support that VOLUNTEERS provide.
[…] In January, I posted results of research carried out by TSB, which suggested that only 10% of the p…. Perhaps Friday will be a good reason to spread the word about the wonderful work of local charities that happens every day! […]