May’s Charity Excellence Insight Briefing Examines The Impact Of COVID-19
This analysis uses Charity Excellence Data Store results, to provide a sector overview of the impact of COVID19, based on just under 2000 assessment questionnaires.
Pre-COVID19 – the dashboard metrics have been indicating serious concerns for a long time. Ability To Deliver assesses how realistic planning is. This and the Sustainability and Strategy metrics were amber. That is, the majority of charities assessed they were not doing well in these areas. Fundraising and the closely allied communications function were also amber.
Lack of funding was an obvious issue, but many of the indicators related to how effectively fundraising was being managed. The weaknesses in digital are well recognised, but there were weaknesses in communications across all areas. We were internally focussed and making often unrealistic plans, sustainability was weak and fundraising and communications, not as effective, as these could be. Overstretched management and the need to focus limited resources on front-line services, came at a price – we were not well placed to cope with a major crisis.
The Crisis – in early March, 3 COVID19 preparedness assessments, 2 immediate response toolkits and an emergency funder list were created. Initially, 2 indicators were red and the other amber, but charities reacted rapidly. The 2 toolkits and funder list were viewed 25k times in two weeks. By the end of March, 4 additional COVID assessments had been created. One metric remained at red, 4 were amber and 2 green.
Despite the desperate shortage of resources, charities appear to have responded very quickly to make the best use of the limited resources they had. The 2 recovery phase toolkits and COVID19 funder database, of 650+ emergency funders, were also created. System registration increased 2000% to 100+ per day, compared to late 2019, although this would have been much higher if sector bodies had made charities aware of its availability.
To read the full Charity Digital news article click here.
Source: Charity Digital News