NCVO has said it will “evolve” its helpdesk service for small charities after concerns were raised about staff cuts made as part of a restructure.
Last week, NCVO’s practical support lead Josie Hinton announced that she had been made redundant from the umbrella body “along with most of my brilliant team”.
Fair Collective founder Vic Hancock Fell, who worked with NCVO on its Power of Small project previously, raised concerns on social media that the cuts were focused on staff members “specifically supporting small charities”.
In a post about its organisational changes, NCVO said it was “not immune to challenges” and that “it is inevitable that as the sector contracts, infrastructure does too”.
“As we look forward to the launch of our new strategy, we have taken the difficult but necessary steps to ensure we are ready for the challenges and opportunities of the future,” its statement reads.
“As a result, we have made a small number of changes to the structure of our existing workforce and created critical new vacancies.
“While it is never easy to have to say goodbye to brilliant people, we believe these changes will ensure more efficient and effective delivery of our vital services, which we know are so valued by the sector.
“Crucially, they will also help unlock exciting opportunities for even greater impact for members, both large and small, in the future.”
‘Service for small charities remains unchanged’
NCVO has provided some additional services for small charities in recent years, following the closures of two major infrastructure organisations.
In 2022, NCVO and the Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI) took on some services run by the Small Charities Coalition (SCC), including its flagship helpdesk.
A year later, FSI closed and NCVO announced it would take over the organisation’s assets including Small Charity Week.
In response to concerns about the impact recent staff cuts will have, NCVO said: “Our service for small charities remains unchanged – it flows through all that we do.
“67% of our members are small, with a large proportion of them receiving free membership, access to our specialist support, and heavily discounted training.
“We are ambitious for small charities, knowing the vital role they play, and continue to strive for the systemic change our sector needs.
“A key part of this is strategically investing to widen our support – our plans to evolve the helpdesk will allow us to open up opportunities to reach more people, in more ways to create greater impact.”
According to its website, NCVO answers 300-400 enquiries a month, mostly from small charities
For the year to March 2025, NCVO reported an income of £9.48m and expenditure of £8.84m, its third consecutive annual operating surplus but described “another challenging year”.
Its average number of full-time equivalent employees was 75 in 2024-25.
