Since starting as a Research Assistant at nfpSynergy a little over three months ago, I've been surprised at how shallow my understanding of the charity sector was. Before coming here I volunteered as a researcher at a very small NGO. At the time, I thought that working on a project proposal and dealing with grant applications gave me some idea of the challenges that charities face, but after a few months of working on our Monitors and reports I've realised that the charity sector is far more complex than I knew.
I'm still constantly finding myself surprised by charities and their methods, which has the happy side-effect of making my work all the more interesting and rewarding.
So with that in mind and New Year's behind us, it seemed as good a time as any to take a moment to reflect on a few of the things I've learned so far.
Charities and politics
One of the biggest things I’ve noticed after the last few months is how difficult the charity sector’s position is with regard to politics. A lot of charity work naturally revolves around social welfare, health, poverty alleviation and education, and at a time when public spending is plummeting that means that charities are expected to step in to help shoulder the burden.
This degree of involvement in public affairs means that charities have to walk a treacherous line; lobbying the government to help their beneficiaries while taking care not to overstep their remit and attract the ire of MPs.
Government hostility to charity involvement in politics surfaces occasionally (Brooks Newmark’s infamous “stick to knitting” comment being one of the most memorable recent examples), but the Lobbying Act seems to represent a much more concerted effort to push charities back from politics.
I didn’t appreciate the uniquely difficult nature of charities’ relationship with government prior to taking this job and it will be interesting to see how the sector copes with the changes introduced by the Lobbying Act in the months ahead. With Labour pledging to repeal the Act should they be elected in 2015, there’s a lot resting on the upcoming general election for charities.
Taming social media
Besides major events like the Ice Bucket Challenge and No Make-up Selfie, I rarely used to give much thought to charities on social media. Having spent some time working on it, however, I was surprised by how important it has become for many charities to maintain an effective social media presence.
While social media offers a great way to connect with beneficiaries and supporters, it often cuts both ways; a story about a charity failing or behaving poorly, regardless of whether it’s true, can rapidly spiral into a significant backlash.
A good example of this danger is the RSPCA’s struggle over Bobi the disabled Bulgarian dog over the 2013 Christmas period. What started as a small story about a critically ill dog being put to sleep blew up into a storm of controversy at a time when many staff were taking their holidays and within days it was a national story.
While the RSPCA did get their perfectly reasonable side of the story across eventually, by then masses of furious animal lovers had been railing on social media for days. The potential for social media to help or harm a charity has grown substantially over the past few years and it’s more important than ever for charities to keep a close eye on their online presence.
Volunteering
Whenever I heard the term ‘volunteering’, it immediately brought to mind street collections and door-knocking. I was lucky enough to join nfpSynergy just as we were putting out our seven-part report on modern volunteering, The New Alchemy, and working on that has really opened my eyes to exciting changes occurring in voluntary work.
With dedicated volunteer managers becoming more and more common throughout the sector, volunteering is becoming increasingly professionalised. This trend is being mirrored by the ambitions of those signing up to volunteer; our 2013 volunteer manager survey saw 80% agree that volunteers were becoming more aware of what exactly they wanted to gain from the experience.
Volunteers are increasingly seeking to get valuable experience so they can offer specific skills or use it to improve their chances of finding work. This change means that volunteering may see a shift from traditional fundraising roles towards more specialised duties tailored to individuals. Personally, I’m intrigued to see how the field develops in 2015.
I’m pretty sure I’m only just scratching the surface of what charities are facing today, but what I’ve found out so far has been really eye-opening. With all its unique dynamics and constant developments, I’m sure I’ll continue to be surprised by the charity sector in the coming months.