Putting small charities at the heart of a stronger civil society

They make up the overwhelming majority of our sector too. Charities with an annual income of less than £1 million represent 96% of all charities in England, and currently make up 92% of NCVO's membership.

For our new strategy to succeed it needs reflect the realities facing civil society, and that means making sure it addresses the needs of small charities. And that's why their experiences, ideas and ambitions have helped shape every part of it.

Throughout our strategy conversations, small charities painted a picture that will be familiar across the sector. They spoke about the growing complexity of governance and compliance, the difficulty of recruiting staff and volunteers, and the pace of technological change. Many described feeling stretched between delivering vital services today and finding the time and capacity to plan for tomorrow.

One message came through particularly clearly. Small charities still value practical support, trusted guidance and opportunities to learn from one another. But many of the pressures they face aren't problems that individual organisations can solve on their own. Funding systems, public policy, workforce challenges and rising demand all shape what charities are able to achieve.

That's why our new strategy focuses on improving the conditions in which charities operate. Our ambition is to help create a civil society that is more resilient, more connected and more influential.

What this means for small charities

For small charities, that means continuing to provide the bespoke practical support that our small charity members value, while also using NCVO's unique role to help influence the wider environment in which charities operate.

As part of this new strategy, we will:

• use NCVO's national voice to influence policy and funding environments so they work better for organisations on the ground.
• bring together evidence that helps make the case for investment in civil society.
• use our convening power to ensure the experiences of small charities are reflected in national policy and sector conversations.
• continue to celebrate the vital role of small charities through our Small Charity Week programme, which this year provided learning, influencing and connection opportunities, and raised almost £2.6m for organisations across the UK though our match-funding campaign with Global’s Make Some Noise and Big Give
• continue to provide trusted advice, training, guidance and resources in the areas where we know we can add the greatest value.

We're helping more small charities access our support

One of the clearest messages we heard during our strategic review was that many small charities are having to make increasingly difficult decisions about where to spend their limited resources. Costs are rising, demand is growing and every pound counts.

We don't want the cost of being a member of NCVO to be one of those pressures.

That's why, alongside launching our new strategy, we're extending free membership to every charity with an annual income of up to £50,000. Around 9,000 additional charities across the sector are now eligible to join our membership community at no cost.

For our existing members, around 1,200 charities with an annual income between £30,000 and £50,000 will move onto free membership when they next renew.

This isn't simply a change to our membership offer. It's an investment in a stronger, more representative civil society.

A stronger movement, together

Our new strategy was built with charities, The more charities that are part of NCVO, the stronger our understanding of the sector becomes. More organisations sharing their experiences means better evidence, stronger policy work and a more powerful collective voice. It also helps ensure that NCVO reflects the diversity of the organisations and communities we exist to serve.

Our new strategy has been shaped by charities, and it will continue to be delivered alongside them. We'll keep listening, testing our thinking and adapting our work as the needs of civil society continue to evolve.

The future of civil society depends on thriving local organisations, trusted community relationships and people coming together to solve problems that matter. We believe NCVO has an important role to play in creating the conditions that make that possible.

And we'd love more small charities to be part of that journey.