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National resources to help in the recession

The economic recession is a challenge for the voluntary and community sector as demand for services is increasing, and funding getting tighter.

Reductions in charitable giving

Charitable giving - a major source of income for the sector - will probably dip as rising unemployment (especially among professionals) reduces the number of high level donors.

Low interest rates are likely to hit the savings and investments of everyone from older, often retired donors to the new philanthropists and foundations.

'Building resilience'

In these turbulent times, organisations will have to act quickly and decisively, and have robust systems in place to manage their organisations through any periods of financial uncertainty: this is what we mean by 'building resilience'....good systems for receiving information about financial performance will make all the difference.

To build resilience, organisations may have to consider things it wouldn't normally have to in order to ensure survival. Diversifying income streams, working in collaboration and merging are some of the options that may have to be considered.

Staff might be anxious about what is happening to the organisation, and transparent and consistent messages about how the organisation is performing will help to alleviate any worries.

Building resilience at a time like this is hugely important, many organisations will continue to make a huge contribution to society at a time when the need for their services is going to be greater than ever.

The links below are from a range of National third sector organisations, and provide a wealth of resources and tools to help organisations build their resilience:

CFDG’s Recession Watch

http://www.cfdg.org.uk/cfdg/influencing_recession_watch.asp

NAVCA’s Recession Resources

http://www.navca.org.uk/localvs/recession/

ACEVO’s Recession Support

http://www.recessionsupport.org.uk

CAF’s Recession helpline

http://www.cafonline.org/default.aspx?page=16919

NCVO's Recession resources

http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/advice-support/recession-resources/recession-proof/resources-events