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UK charities – a snapshot of the sector in 2010
With an annual income greater than the GDP of European country Croatia, the UK’s charity sector packs a mighty punch.
Including giants such as Cancer Research UK down to grassroots groups providing local services, the sector had an annual income of £52.6 billion in the year to March.
There are almost 160,000 charities which are registered and submit accounts for the Charity Commission, and a further 20,000 subsidiary and group charities.
But how is the sector made up, and what challenges does it face?
How big, how many?
Charities are organisations which benefit the public in a way the law agrees is charitable.
Most charities which raise an annual income of £5,000 or more must register with the Charity Commission.
The Commission’s statistics reveal a huge number of charities are small, with 45% of the total having an annual income of less than £10,000 in March 2010.
The total number of charities has fallen since 1999 by almost 3,000. Meanwhile, in the last decade, large charities which have annual incomes of more than £10 million have increased their dominance. They numbered 833 in 2009, against 307 in 1999, and took a 55% slice of the sector’s income (43% in 1999).
Which is Britain’s biggest charity?
The UK’s largest charity, in terms of income, is the British Council. It delivers hundreds of arts, science, education and sports projects around the world and spent £621 million in the year to March 31, 2009.
The biggest public-facing charity, which comes fourth on the list, is Cancer Research UK, with an income of £498 million in the 2008/9 tax year.
Organiser of the Race for Life fun runs, its influence and reach is immense. To give some idea of its size, Cancer Research UK funds about 4,500 research scientists, doctors and nurses to further its goal of eradicating cancer. It employs about 4,000 staff and can call on the services of 47,500 volunteers
What issues do charities face?
The global recession has undoubtedly put the squeeze on charity finances.
Donations fell 10% during 2009, according to research by Investec Private Bank, as consumers tightened their belts.
And the Charity Commission has warned public sector cuts imposed by the UK’s new coalition government could create a financial black hole when delivery contracts between charities and public sector bodies expire in March 2010.
Commission chairman Dame Suzi Leather said: “There is real concern that charities which receive money from the public purse to fund their work could find themselves at a financial cliff edge in March 2011.”
Ben Whittenberg, director of policy at the Directory of Social Change, agrees many charities are facing a period of huge uncertainty. But he believes a withdrawal by the state could see small, grassroots charities fill resulting gaps in service provision.
He said: “The example I like to give is a group of residents complain a canal is full of rubbish. The local authority doesn’t have a budget to clear it, so people get together and do it themselves.
“They may form a charity to get corporate support, and knock on doors to raise the cash for a clean-up.”
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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