There’s no denying that the leading charities in the UK are amazing causes and great at what they do, but they often have big marketing budgets and a much wider reach which smaller charities can only dream of.
Small, local charities – who you may have never heard of and who are doing great things in your community – need your help too.
The phenomenal impact being made by small charities on local communities is truly uplifting. Yet Fegans, like many such charities, struggles for donations, despite the worthiness of our intentions. We spend huge amounts of time applying for grants and often have very little budget to spend on generating individual donations through marketing or advertising. Luckily, the internet makes a little easier for us to raise awareness of important issues.
In a small charity, a small amount of money can make a huge difference. What may not seem a lot to you, may be a huge helping hand to us. Not a lot of people have disposable cash, but even £1 or £5 can make all the difference – and you don’t even have to donate money. A lot of local charities like ourselves are always looking for volunteers to donate just a couple of hours of their time to helping their communities. In a small charity, it is also more likely that you will see how that money is spent – you know face to face who is being helped and can become more personally involved with the cause.
At small, local charities, less money is spent on administrative overheads, the CEO’s salary, the plush and expensive HQ and marketing/advertising, than in larger charities – where as much as one quarter of your donation can go towards those costs.
One in two people who don’t give to local charities say the main reason is that they are unaware of them, research suggests. When you donate, fundraise or volunteer for a small charity and tell your friends, you are helping raise awareness without even knowing it. Our advice; research local charities and find a charity that is small and close to your heart. If you are looking to support vulnerable, anxious or neglected children, please look at the impact page on our website and see exactly how you can help those who need us the most. Then, share the information on your Facebook or Twitter timeline. This will help raise awareness of our work.
Small charities highlight issues that matter locally and more often than not, work directly to solve a problem in your community – which is not only much closer to home, but also can be much closer to your heart.
Because we are small, it also means that we can respond to crises quickly and efficiently, at the time of need.This is how we make a tangible difference. This is how we can focus on hyper local level support.
Of course, there’s no denying the fundamental importance of large national and international charities to tackle monumental international issues like human rights, or curing diseases. Yet, there’s something special about knowing that your £5 donation has made at least £5 worth of difference that you can see, whether it’s a blanket for a local homeless person, helping the local school buy a new minivan, or providing counselling to traumatised children*.
*A donation of £38 will actually remove a child from our waiting list and into the safety of one of our counselling rooms.