Essential Tips for Running a Small Charity on a Budget

Credit crunch, recession and job losses are all phrases we have had to face in recent times as the Worlds economic climate has changed dramatically. This article looks at how the downturn has affected the voluntary sector and offers a couple of ways in which small charities can look to survive.

The truth is the voluntary sector like so many in past year or two has struggled as less disposable income has resulted in donations and otherwise reliable support reducing. And as small charities in particular are struggling, this article looks at ways that they can promote their cause without spending money they simply do not have, as well as looking at ways in which they can reduce one of their largest outgoings.

To begin with it is important to remember that charities are no different to other businesses in that they have to promote themselves effectively if they want to be successful and grow. For larger charities like Oxfam they are lucky to have large marketing budgets and therefore can promote their charity with television adverts, direct mail campaigns and numerous other ways. However, for small charities in particular, such promotional activities are simply unavailable due to the vast amount of money they can cost.

Small charities therefore have to be smart when promoting their charity and this can be done with little or even no budget. One very simple way of getting your charities name and cause in front of potential fund raisers and donors is to get some press coverage. And whereas other businesses may have to pay for advertising with magazines and newspapers, smart businesses and charities can still get exposure in the media in the form of public relations. The fact is the media need news worthy stories in which to survive and by running or being involved in a charity, you could easily provide them with human interest stories that many journalists and news editors would be happy to report on.

The truth is many people are sick and tired of picking up a newspaper or turning on the television only to be faced with doom and gloom stories. Editors are beginning to realise this and are actively searching for stories with a positive slant which is where you and your charity can help.

If you are running a fund raising event for a good cause then write a press release about it and send it to the media. Likewise you can pick up the phone and actually call your local newspaper and ask if they would like a journalist and photographer to attend the event. You could even contact them well in advance of the event so they run an article before the event which helps promote it as well as a post event follow up story containing pictures of the day.

So if the media can be used to help promote your small charity, what can you do to reduce your own expenses? Well small charities could potentially save money by using a specialist small charity insurance broker for their charities insurance. An insurance broker who specialises in charity insurance could very well make you a considerable saving on your insurance premiums and these can simply be found by carrying out a search on the internet.

Times are tough but charities and small charities can survive and prosper if they are smart when it comes to promoting their cause whilst looking for ways to reduce the amount they pay for services like charity insurance.

NCi Charity is Charity and Small Charity Insurance Specialists and for details of their Small Charity Insurance facilities or to get an instant online charity insurance quote simply visit the UK Charity Insurance Brokers.