Acevo and Navca say large and small charities need to work together

20 Sep 2012 News

The chief executives of Acevo and Navca have both delivered speeches today calling for an end to divisions between large and small charities.

The chief executives of Acevo and Navca have both delivered speeches today calling for an end to divisions between large and small charities.

The two umbrella bodies have announced a closer working relationship to break down barriers between different-sized charities.

Speaking to a voluntary sector audience in Devon, Sir Stephen Bubb, chief executive of Acevo, said that the charity sector needed to unite in a tough climate:

“Our sector is divided - two stereotypes are at play,” he said. “Big charities are often seen as the third-sector equivalent of Kraft - predatory, foreign, corporate, while small charities are stereotyped as the equivalent of the village shop in the League of Gentlemen - loud, incompetent, and ever-so-slightly weird.

“We need to acknowledge that both stereotypes are false, that both large and small organisations share common cause, that we are platoons in the same army. Division and argument do not help our beneficiaries.”

Joe Irvin, chief executive of Navca, made similar comments to Bromley’s local voluntary sector today, saying that although reduced funding and competitive contracts could turn charities against each other, the sector needs to stick together to support the people who need the most help.

Acevo and Navca plan to meet later this year to explore ways of breaking down barriers between big and small charities. 

 

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