With increased demand and reduced income due to cuts in Government funding, charities are facing unprecedented pressure. A new survey has revealed that 97% of charity leaders expect economic conditions within the sector to be 'negative' over the next year. Consequently, over a third (35%) plan to decrease the extent of services they offer during the next three months.
Dick Strawbridge is backing a campaign to give small British charities the chance to win some much-needed funding.
The 'Be a Local Star' campaign, set up by Douwe Egberts, gives charities with an annual income of under £50,000 a chance to win £10,000. The campaign is now live on Facebook for charities to enter and for members of the public to register their vote and will end on Thursday 28th April 2011 (http://www.facebook.com/douweegbertsuk).
The campaign has a strong emphasis on Re-Use, Re-Fill, or Re-Cycle which, as an environmentalist, he is very passionate about. The concept for the campaign was inspired by how Douwe Egberts customers use their empty coffee jars.
Dick says: "With all the cuts in funding across the UK, the campaign is a great idea. Giving small charities the chance to win £10,000 to put back into their local community will really help boost morale, and give small charities a much needed real boost."
Entrants must provide a UK-registered charity number, the regional location of the charity, a contact email address and a brief explanation of why the project needs extra funding.
Charities can enter their projects into one of three categories: a Re-fill charity project is one that's low on funding and needs replenishing; a Re-use charity project is one which has facilities that are falling into disrepair and funds are needed to return them to their former glory; and a Re-Cycle charity project is one that transforms something unusable into something useful, such as wasteland into community allotments.
