Charities facing mission-limiting hostility, fear and intimidation

The charity sector has navigated a period of significant difficulty in recent months – feeling increasingly unsafe and under threat amid rising societal tensions.

In October, we held a week of listening sessions with representatives from 46 voluntary organisations to hear more about the realities they face.

Across the five sessions, participants described rising levels of fear, intimidation and online hate.

A growing threat

The report, published today, shares testimonies from attendees that reveals a serious threat preventing organisations from delivering their core missions safely.

The report identifies four major themes of concern:

1. a pervasive climate of fear - participants described a tangible sense of fear that affects the daily lives of staff and volunteers, particularly those from global majority backgrounds.
2. operational disruption and forced invisibility - organisations reported cancelling community events, reducing their online visibility and scaling back public activity because of direct threats or security concerns.
3. direct targeting and abuse many described receiving intimidating emails and other forms of harassment, while charities have removed trustee names from their websites.
4. increasing internal tensions within organisations – many said they were grappling with conflicting views among staff, trustees and volunteers, as well as challenging interactions with service users.

Kate Lee OBE, chief executive of NCVO, said:

“Using the findings from this report, we need to ensure the sector, and its partners and friends, come together to prevent this further affecting organisations that are simply trying to deliver their vital work. By supporting one another, and offering hope where others spread hate, we can protect the space civil society occupies and ensure charities can continue to strengthen.”

Participants called for sustained support and coordinated action to help organisations operate safely.

Organisations requested guidance on staff safety, risk management and collective advocacy to strengthen solidarity across the sector. Participants also emphasised the value of peer networks to reduce isolation and build collective resilience.

In response, we’ll take forward work to support members and strengthen the sector’s collective voice.

This includes:

• developing further practical guidance on staff safety, online hate and risk management, in partnership with specialist organisations
• creating confidential peer-support spaces for leaders and frontline staff experiencing hostility, and exploring further opportunities for collaborative learning
• strengthening sector-wide advocacy, using the Civil Society Covenant to raise these concerns with government and regulators and challenge harmful narratives.