Time to step up for the groups who care

Anyone who questioned the worth of Scotland’s charity sector before the coronavirus crisis will surely be in no doubt about its value today. Across our region and beyond, voluntary groups have gone out of their way to protect the most vulnerable, adjusting their roles to support people whose lives have been turned upside down by the pandemic and finding new and innovative ways to provide services in a time of lockdown and social distancing.

So it is troubling to learn how many of those charities are now in danger of being overwhelmed by the emergency they have tackled head-on.

Faced with a perfect storm – unprecedented demand for services coupled with the loss of traditional fundraising avenues including charity shops, sponsored events and regular donors who are now belt-tightening themselves – many have grave concerns for their long term futures.

A survey by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations found half of all charities in Tayside and Fife believe they could run out of cash reserves within just six months, while one in five fear folding altogether.

After decades in which it has increasingly fallen to charities to take on functions that might once have been provided by communities or the state, it is time for us all to focus on what we demand from our third sector and how to equip it with what it needs to survive and thrive. The cost to society of allowing it to fail does not bear thinking about.