Power of Small project report

The Power of Small project’s recommendations for sector support organisations, umbrella bodies and local infrastructure organisations.

The Power of Small’s research and testing have highlighted that small charities ('Smalls') feel underrepresented in decision making and often lack a collective voice in sector-wide discussions.

The closure of dedicated small charity networks has left a significant gap, and infrastructure organisations should act as champions for Smalls, ensuring their needs are heard in funding and policy debates.

However, there is ongoing sensitivity around who speaks for Smalls, with some asserting that only small charities themselves can effectively advocate for their peers.

At the same time, the sheer diversity of Smalls – spanning different causes, regions and operating models – raises important questions about whether size alone is the most meaningful way to define commonalities or segment the voluntary sector.

While funding constraints, access to support and representation in decision making are shared challenges, Smalls’ experiences and needs vary significantly.

Currently, support exists for Smalls, but many remain unaware of key offers, such as low-cost or free membership options and NCVO’s specialist small charity helpdesk.

Recognising this complexity, advocacy efforts should ensure that a broad range of Smalls are represented, while also considering how different factors – such as mission, geography and service delivery models – shape their challenges and opportunities.

Smalls often feel underrepresented in key decision making processes, leading to policies and support structures that may not fully address their unique challenges.

To bridge this gap, infrastructure bodies could work with NCVO’s small charities advisory panel (SCAP) to ensure the perspectives and experiences of small charities are integral to strategic planning and advocacy efforts, harnessing expertise and reducing duplication.

To ensure that Smalls’ voices are embedded in sector-wide strategy, rather than peripheral to it, advisory panels must be designed with power-sharing principles, transparency and a commitment to action.

Recognising the need for this, NCVO implemented, reviewed and revised SCAP over the period of the project to improve engagement and to ensure meaningful and diverse representation. There is scope to build on this work in the wider context of voluntary sector infrastructure.

Smalls often need targeted support in areas such as governance, fundraising, digital skills and staff wellbeing. But they may struggle to engage with generic training that doesn’t reflect their context or capacity. While a wide range of support already exists, it is not always visible, accessible or sufficiently tailored.

Infrastructure bodies should focus on enhancing awareness of existing provision, strengthening coordination across the ecosystem and identifying where gaps remain.

The emphasis should be on ensuring that Smalls can access high-quality, relevant support that meets their needs without placing an additional burden on limited time and resources.

Smalls can struggle to navigate the fragmented and complex support landscape, with information spread across multiple organisations, websites and networks.

While the digital prototype developed as part of the Power of Small project confirmed strong demand for a single, simple entry point, we must also acknowledge that introducing yet another platform risks adding to the complexity rather than resolving it.

For the concept to be truly effective, it must build on and connect with existing trusted resources, rather than duplicating them.

The success of platforms such as the Charity Excellence Framework, which has supported thousands of charities on limited resources through structured digital access, demonstrates what’s possible.

Moreover, there is untapped potential for natural language search and AI tools to simplify access to funding, advice and support, particularly for Smalls with limited capacity.

Testing also highlighted the importance of human facilitation and a trust-based approach, as many organisations, not just Smalls, are unable to fully engage with self-service digital tools alone. A blended, integrated model, leveraging both digital innovation and human support, is therefore essential.

The Power of Small project found that peer support plays a vital role in helping Smalls share ideas, reduce isolation and navigate common challenges. However, structured opportunities for connection remain limited, and many Smalls lack the time or capacity to create or sustain networks themselves.

Rather than setting up entirely new systems, infrastructure bodies could take a light-touch, resource-aware approach by curating and sharing quality tools and content that support peer learning and enhancing existing networks rather than building new ones from scratch.

The goal should be to seed and support what already works, and to make collaboration as easy and flexible as possible.

Smalls continue to face significant barriers within funding systems that prioritise scale over community connection, often favouring larger organisations and imposing disproportionate administrative burdens.

Infrastructure bodies have a critical role to play in shifting the funding landscape – using their influence to advocate for fairer, simpler and more proportionate funding models that reflect the realities of Smalls.