The Value of Small in a Big Crisis: the distinctive contribution, value and experience of smaller charities in England and Wales during the COVID 19 pandemic
Three years on from the publication of the independent ‘The Value of Small’ study, researchers from Sheffield Hallam, the Open University, IVAR and the University of Wolverhampton revisited the four case study areas during the COVID 19 pandemic.
"This new research, commissioned by Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, tests and expands the findings of the original study in the context of the pandemic. It shows that small and local charities’ distinctiveness in who they support, how they carry out their work, and the role they play in their communities makes them best placed to respond to this crisis. They reach and support disadvantaged people and communities that tend to be less well served by mainstream provision.
They 'showed up' and then 'stuck around' using their position of trust within communities experiencing complex social issues to support people when they were needed the most. This contrasts with parts of the public sector, which were slower to react early on, and informal support and mutual aid, which dissipated over time. Smaller charities addressed four main areas of need: access to food, isolation and loneliness, information, and mental health/wellbeing.
They demonstrated “absorptive capacity” by ‘soaking-up’ the unprecedented impact of the crisis on their work, operations and the individuals and communities they support; and then showing tremendous “adaptive capacity” by responding rapidly and flexibly through adjustments and innovations on an ongoing basis.
Small and local charities will be central to rebuilding after the pandemic, contributing to the transformational change needed for society and the economy to fully recover and prosper. The report calls on the government, funders and the wider voluntary sector to recognise the value of small charities - providing long term, flexible, core funding and investing in social and community infrastructure."
Report Recommendations Recommendation 1: Fostering a thriving and resilient population of smaller charities Recommendation 2: Long-term, flexible, core funding for smaller charities Recommendation 3: Investing in social and community infrastructure Recommendation 4: Putting social value and wellbeing at the heart of public commissioning and procurement Recommendation 5: Enhancing digital inclusion and service delivery
