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| Small Charities Coalition | |
|---|---|
| Name | Small Charities Coalition |
| Formation | 1991 |
| Type | Charity network |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Region served | United Kingdom |
| Leader title | Chief Executive |
Small Charities Coalition The Small Charities Coalition is a UK-based membership network supporting micro and small voluntary organizations. It provides training, policy representation, and practical resources to help charities manage governance, fundraising, and service delivery. The coalition operates alongside funders, regulatory bodies, and sector networks to amplify the voice of smaller third-sector organizations.
Founded in 1991, the coalition emerged amid sector reforms influenced by actors such as National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Charity Commission for England and Wales, Big Society Network, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and Charities Aid Foundation. Early collaborations included partnerships with Community Foundation Network, Localgiving', and Co-operatives UK. Over time it engaged with initiatives connected to Millennium Commission, Home Office community programmes, European Social Fund projects, and contemporaneous campaigns like those led by Scope (charity), Oxfam, and Shelter (charity). The organisation adapted through periods shaped by policy developments including debates around the Charities Act 2006, responses to the 2008 financial crisis, and reforms linked to the Welfare Reform Act 2012. Key relationships were built with bodies such as National Audit Office, Institute of Fundraising, Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, and advocacy groups like Debt Justice and Justice for Workers.
The coalition’s mission aligns with objectives pursued by actors such as Giving Tuesday UK, Turn2us, The Trussell Trust, Macmillan Cancer Support, and Mind (charity), focusing on resilience, capacity building, and sector inclusion. Activities include producing guidance akin to resources from NCVO, training programmes modelled on approaches used by Clore Social Leadership Programme, accreditation advice related to standards used by Investing in Volunteers, and partnership initiatives paralleling work by Nesta, Young Foundation, and Local Trust. It runs events comparable to conferences hosted by Third Sector and collaborates with research organisations like New Philanthropy Capital and The King’s Fund.
Membership spans organisations reminiscent of beneficiaries served by Age UK, Barnardo's, British Red Cross, Refugee Council, and small community groups operating in localities such as Tower Hamlets, Manchester, Birmingham, and Glasgow. Governance structures reflect frameworks used by Charity Commission for Northern Ireland registrants and draw on trustee models seen at Royal Trinity Hospice and Young Lives vs Cancer. The board engages with external advisers comparable to those from Nesta, Wellcome Trust, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, and legal partners similar to LawWorks and Pro Bono Economics.
Services include capacity-building workshops reflecting curricula from Institute of Fundraising, digital support similar to initiatives by Google.org and Microsoft Philanthropies, and practical toolkits comparable to those produced by Community Organisers. It provides governance templates used by organisations like Trust for London grantees, safeguarding guidance on par with materials from NSPCC, and funding advice aligned with practice at Big Lottery Fund. The coalition’s helpline and peer networks mirror models employed by Volunteer Centre Network and Citizen's Advice.
Funding blends membership subscriptions, grant awards, and commissioned contracts, paralleling funding mixes seen at NCVO, Community Foundation Network, Barrow Cadbury Trust, and Lankelly Chase Foundation. It has historically received project funding similar to grants from National Lottery Community Fund and collaborations with corporate partners such as Barclays Foundation and HSBC UK. Financial oversight follows reporting standards comparable to those required by Charity Commission for England and Wales and auditing practices used by Grant Thornton UK LLP and PwC in the sector.
Advocacy work includes submissions and briefings to policymakers such as members of Parliament of the United Kingdom, committees like the Commons Public Accounts Committee, and civil servants at departments equivalent to those engaged with Department for Work and Pensions or Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The coalition has campaigned on issues echoing debates involving Office for Civil Society', Equality and Human Rights Commission, and policy coalitions including National Voices and Disabled Persons' Organisations Coalition. It participates in consultations alongside groups like Age Concern and Shelter (charity) to influence funding, regulation, and social policy.
Impact reporting references evaluation methods used by The King's Fund, New Philanthropy Capital, and academic partners at London School of Economics, University of Oxford, and University College London. Outcomes tracked include organisational resilience, volunteer retention similar to measures used by Royal Voluntary Service, and improved governance comparable to effects documented by Nesta studies. Independent evaluations have been undertaken in the spirit of analyses by Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Cass Business School to assess reach across regions including West Midlands, South East England, and Scotland.