Over half of charities may be gone in six months over 'unprecedented' fundraising crisis, says body
The national organisation representing the charity sector has called for a senior ministry to be created to deal with its unprecedented fundraising crisis since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
The Wheel, the national association of charities, said a cabinet-level minister for community development was needed, as well as a “sustainable funding model for the sector, including multi-annual funding and a working group to examine procurement policy”.
The collapse of fundraising means more than half of Irish charities may be unable to last beyond the next six months, the body overseeing the sector has said.
It warned that charities’ “frontline health and social services will come under unprecedented strain in the coming months” as the full social and economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis materialises.
CEO Deirdre Garvey told the organisation’s online Charity Summit of 500 organisations that charities are playing a key role in mitigating the impact of the pandemic, but that funding for many of their essential health and social services will run out in the coming months.
The Government’s €40m Covid stability package “was a very welcome lifeline for many frontline services”, she said, but the collapse of fundraising income and uncertainties about statutory funding have hamstrung organisations’ ability to plan for “an anticipated surge in demand for services in areas such as mental health, poverty relief, homelessness, and disability supports”.
She pointed to a survey published by the Charities Regulator this month that showed two-thirds of charities had already restricted services, while 54% say they may be unable to continue providing services for more than six months.
“Social enterprises and community-based organisations countrywide face similar threats to their very existence. The community sector must be brought into the core of plans to revive and rebuild our economy and society,” Ms Garvey said.
The Register of Charities said there are more than 10,000 charities registered here, and a further 20,000 community and voluntary organisations, employing 189,000 people, with annual turnover of around €14.5bn.
