what we do...
Small Charities Coalition and Charity Trustee Networks merged on 3 March 2011. Our common vision is for small charities and trustees to have access to the skills, experience and resources they need to achieve their aims.
Small Charities Coalition
We know from our own experience that many small charities suffer from a chronic lack of skills, resources and expertise, despite having an abundance of passion and commitment. The Small Charities Coalition is like a voluntary sector matchmaking service, matching small charities with other organisations (large and small) that have the skills, experience, and in some cases resources, that the small charity lacks.
These skills and resources may come from a fellow small charity, an individual supporter (usually from a larger charity, public or private sector organisation) or from another support provider that we’ve brokered an opportunity from.
Aside from this, we are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to support small charities up and down the UK. Becoming a member of the Small Charities Coalition and benefiting from all this support is free.
[Read more about the conditions for membership here]
Individuals and organisations that are not or do not belong to a small charity can still join the Small Charities Coalition as a supporting member. You can provide the skills, experience and resources that so many small charities are desperately seeking.
Traditionally this is done by volunteering your knowledge and expertise through our skills sharing and mentoring service (which also provides great personal development opportunities for staff) or in any way that you feel small charities can benefit.
The Small Charities Coalition is about helping small charities to help themselves, and enable them to have access to the considerable expertise of their larger counterparts in the charitable sector or those from other sectors.
Join the coalition and become a part of it.
The Small Charities Coalition was the idea of Patrick Cox who was running his own small charity and continually encountered difficulties in accessing the help and resources he needed for his charity to succeed.
With 98% of the 160,000 charities in the UK being small charities, Patrick identified a widespread need and came up with the concept of the charity sector matchmaking service. [Stat ref: NCVO Almanac 2007]
The Coalition achieved charitable status in January 2008 and has been building a Coalition of small charities and supporters ever since.
Charity Trustee Networks
CTN was founded in 1998 by a group of trustees who found that meeting together enhanced their motivation and effectiveness within their charitable organisations. There are now many networks around the country which provide networking and support opportunities to over 500 trustees a year. We also listen to the concerns of trustees and make sure that these are heard at a national level, through our partnerships, consultations and submissions.
We regularly organise events to support trustees and hear their views; these range from a small working group lunch to our Annual Lecture for 300 trustees. Where possible, we work with partners to achieve positive outcomes for trustees.
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