Charities have been urged to help boost philanthropy by increasing their visibility and explaining the impact of their work.
Jonathan Simmons, New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) chief executive, said at an event in London yesterday that infrastructure changes were required to grow the impact economy.
The Office for the Impact Economy launched in December 2025 as a “diverse ecosystem of purposeful organisations and capital” and can include philanthropists, investors and businesses.
Simmons said at yesterday’s NPC Ignites event that funding was the biggest issue facing charities and other impact economy organisations.
He said: “This is a two-sided marketplace, and it cannot work unless we make ourselves easier to see, to understand, and to engage with.
“Number one, storytelling. Where are the philanthropists? It's a common question, but I think the wrong one, because it puts the onus on others.
“We need to focus on the questions that we can control. How is the philanthropist going to find me? How can I inspire a person? What is my role in growing that community?
“In our day jobs, it's incredibly hard to get our heads up. Many of our organisations are hugely cash-strapped and overwhelmed by the needs on the ground. But we need to think about how we or others tell our story, share our work, and talk about our impact.
“Philanthropists are people; they consume content, come to conferences, talk about issues with their friends and in public, and they get advice from professionals. Are we really visible to them?”
Simmons acknowledged that many may not “like me putting the onus on the charities and social enterprises”.
However, he said: “I do not see a focus on storytelling and universal use of the incredibly cheap tools available to us. It has never been cheaper and easier, but also more necessary to be storytellers.”
Simmons said the current national focus on place-based giving offered opportunities as “philanthropists are often driven by the challenges on their doorstep”.
He also said NPC would “continue to work with wealth holders, advisers, and others to help them find you”.
“But we all have to do work on the plumbing,” he added. “We need to make it easier for money to find you, and the other way round.”
Office focusing on areas with ‘greatest energy’
Also at the event, a senior civil servant said the Office for the Impact Economy would broker partnerships between charities and government departments.
“We are focusing on some of the areas where there’s greatest energy, because that’s where you can build things, where there’s the newest structures and opportunities developing,” said Ben Jupp.
When asked by Simmons which potential funding recipients would be supported by the office, Jupp said the department would work within its means.
“I don’t want to turn anybody away, but I also want to be realistic that it’s best to work with all of you, share those lessons, and then with you distil some of the most important things for government enablers.”
Jupp added that the office would also seek to build capacity to allow organisations to link directly with mayoral and local authorities, as well as companies such as tech firms.
Simmons said that the office could play a crucial role in connecting philanthropists to charities.
He said: “You [Office for the Impact Economy] have just such a bigger view, and if you say: ‘you should talk to these people’, that’s incredibly helpful for these guys.
“So I think that kind of connectivity job is something that the office can be really helpful for,” Simmons added.
