Take part in this week’s survey about the impact of Covid-19 on charities m - 19 May

19 May 2020 Announcement

Pro Bono Economics (PBE) is running a short weekly survey to understand how Covid-19 is affecting charities as the crisis develops. 

The aim of the survey is to understand the pressures being faced by the charity sector as a result of the coronavirus crisis, and monitor how this changes week-to-week. 

Last week’s survey found that 3% of respondents consider it “very likely” that their charity will no longer be operating in six months’ time, while 7% rated it as “likely”. Three-quarters said they were confident the organisation would still exist. The survey will be open for 48 hours each week, is anonymous, and should take no longer than 60 seconds to complete.

Matt Whittaker, chief executive of PBE, said: “There is no doubt that charities and civil society organisations are under enormous pressure right now. Many are facing a situation in which demand for the support they offer is rising at precisely the same time as their resources are being constrained.” 

He added: “As the sector continues to make its case for support to government, funders and the public at large, we want to better understand just where the most serious pinch points are. And we want to monitor how the situation changes over time: for some organisations the pressure is very immediate, for others it is likely build over time.” 

This month PBE published a paper arguing that the sector has been undervalued by policy makers. It estimates the sector contributes £200bn to the economy, 12 times more than officially estimated, a discrepancy which leaves the sector “vulnerable to policy neglect”. 

This week’s survey is now open and will close at midnight tomorrow. Take part here.

Civil Society Media is a media partner for the project.

For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here.

 

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