Voluntary Norfolk’s report on the State of the Norfolk VCSE Sector in 2025, states that over 70% of the 10,000 charities in Norfolk have declared that their financial position has worsened in the last six months. Of these, around 6,500 are small and unregistered community groups which are often the first to respond in times of crisis – from providing food and housing support to running youth groups, befriending schemes or animal welfare.
The continued existence of small charities is under threat. Without them, many of the vital functions they perform, and on which we depend, may disappear. Charities rely on donations, legacies, grants and sales from charity shops, and the generosity of volunteers giving their time.
A bleak picture
Rising costs remain a central issue for Norfolk’s voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector. Energy prices, inflation and rising wages are driving up operational expenses, while funding is not keeping pace with these increases. A third of the organisations surveyed are using their reserves, which compromises their medium-to-long term future. A quarter report that they have had to cut services or activities.
“Increases to rents, utilities, staff wage bills, employer National Insurance Contributions and general expenses mean every pound a charity raises has to go further than ever,” says Kate Morris, Director of Finance and Commercial Services for the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).
Some charities are looking to diversify their income streams but smaller organisations often lack the capacity to pursue alternative funding. As a result, paid staffing roles are increasingly at risk for nearly half of the Norfolk charities. This puts further pressure on recruiting and retaining volunteers, especially for the more time-consuming or specialised roles.
“The numbers tell a stark story,” says Nicky Stainton, Joint Head of the VCSE Sector Support Team volunteering at Voluntary Norfolk. “Small charities are having to do more with less,” she adds, “and that’s simply not sustainable. Meeting growing social, environmental and welfare needs while grappling with inflation, staff shortages and funding uncertainty is pushing many to the brink of closure.“
An essential sector in crisis
Across Norfolk, a number of charities have closed their doors with varying impacts on the community they support.
In Norwich, the Woodgreen charity shop, supporting pet rehoming, closed in November because a recent rent rise made the business unsustainable. West Norfolk Carers (WNC), a social care charity closed at the end of March, due to financial difficulties. Over the 31 years of operation, the charity had supported 75,000 carers. Apart from the loss of an invaluable resource for carers who have a difficult enough life, the closure led to ten employees being made redundant and the loss of 20 volunteer posts.
In June, The Benjamin Foundation’s furniture and electrical store on Broad Street in Kings Lynn shut due to financial pressures. This follows their closure in January of Butterfly House, a supported living service in town, after it became “impossible” to run due to “significant unfunded cost increases”.
Volunteering
Volunteering with a charity can be extremely rewarding. There is the camaraderie, the joy from “giving something back”, the appreciation of your goodwill. That said as staffing issues become more problematic, it is not just the charities that are facing challenges, but also the volunteers themselves.
One volunteer who has given up their time for four years, tells East Anglia Bylines, “Until recently, I have been enjoying my time immensely. But in recent months, partly in response to staff shortages, we have begun to take on more special needs people, including students from the local college.” Increasingly, volunteers are asked to become mentors to a cohort that needs a lot of support. This can become very demanding – especially when they are expected to step in in the absence of paid support staff.
The volunteer explains that due to their professional background, they were asked to mentor these special needs adults. However, the experience was “not always pleasant” to the point that the volunteer, finding the working environment had “became untenable”, gave notice to leave what they described as “much-loved volunteer work”.
“These adults do not necessarily want to volunteer; some are disinterested, un-helpful, rude to customers and staff, and lack basic social and academic skills. But it is expected that they do some work to help gain possible future employment.”
A volunteer describes the challenges they faced managing a small independent charity shop.
“Staffing, as in any business, was always a problem,” they tell East Anglia Bylines. “We always aimed to have at least two people on per shift. Finding volunteers was waiting for people to come in and express an interest and if they were warm and breathing, they were in!”
They describe how the nature of the work, carrying heavy sacks of clothing, could be gruelling. As the typical age of the volunteers was in their 70s and 80s, ensuring the safety of the volunteers was an issue. But also managing volunteers brought its own challenges: “It can be on a par with herding cats!
“Long standing volunteers were extremely entrenched in their ways. They all did what they felt was appropriate. The persuasion and diplomacy that had to be employed would have been worthy of a UN peacemaker!”
The future
For more than two decades, the general public has been the main source of income for the voluntary sector. But the cost of living crisis has put pressure on household incomes and with this, the ability to donate. Unlike the private sector, most charities are unable to pass on cost increases to the consumer.
While cost-cutting can reduce overheads, many charities have already cut back as far as they can. In Norfolk we are already seeing charities closing. Reducing paid staff levels, restructuring, merging with other organisations, or cutting services will ultimately impact the people and communities that rely on them.
Voluntary Norfolk has supported voluntary and community groups and charities for over 50 years. Its report advocates a threefold approach to support small charities:
- Core funding for sustainability, not just project grants
- Strategic partnerships that include VCSE organisations in decision-making
- Investment in volunteer support, training and infrastructure
“The current situation is unsustainable without long-term investment,” says Stainton, “We urgently need more flexible funding, smarter commissioning and better collaboration between statutory partners and grassroots groups.”
Without this support, without volunteers generously giving of their time, more charities will close, the services they provide will vanish and everyone will be a loser.
If you would like to know more about volunteering opportunities in Norfolk, Voluntary Norfolk maintain a list of opportunities.
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