How Have Charities Been Affected by Covid-19?

One thing is sure during these unprecedented and uncertain times: every single person has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In one way or another, from all corners of the world, and in so many different ways. People from all walks of life are losing jobs, being furloughed, having weddings cancelled, struggling with mental health issues, suffering with loneliness, catching the virus, or even losing a loved one.

The world has come together to fight in harmony against this novel and unexpected threat against humanity. The overwhelming positivity, selflessness, compassion and communal spirit flourishing from these dark times has been so inspiring. And rightly so! The only way we can fight the virus is by coming together.

Undoubtedly, it has affected every area of every industry, and the financial impact on both individual people and businesses has been drastic. We all already know this, because it is plastered across the news every day, and is the spotlight topic for most of our conversations. It pretty much consumes our every waking moment!

As essential as it is to humanity, the vast focus on coronavirus around the world has seen other (still hugely vital) causes slip into the background and away from the limelight in the media and in people’s minds. One industry which doesn’t seem to be receiving as much attention and coverage, is the non-profit sector. Few people are aware of the extent that the pandemic has had on charities. No one is at fault for this. COVID-19 is a pressing and urgent matter, and will be for quite some time, but so are other charities who have received reduced assistance since the start of the pandemic.

The Charities Aid Foundation published a report entitled ‘UK Giving and Covid-19’ in October 2020, analysing the trends of charitable donations and giving behaviour during the pandemic. The average (mean) amount given to charities by donations or sponsorships in December 2019 was £61, but dropped to £41 in January 2020. It did not return to the £61 level until April 2020.

They found a huge increase in donations to charities which support the NHS. Other charities have lost out on donations due to cancelled fundraising events such as marathons and coffee mornings. Ness M Care Foundation has particularly been impacted in this sense, having cancelled all coffee mornings due to the virus.

Charities have also increasingly relied on cashless giving throughout the pandemic. While this is evidently the most important time in our lives to support NHS charities, we cannot let other charities be forgotten. Charities like Ness M Care Foundation usually rely solely on cash and cheque donations, but due to the pandemic they have adapted by creating a PayPal for cashless donations.

To donate to Ness M Care Foundation via Pay Pal, visit the website at https://www.nessmfoundation.org and click the donate button at the top of the site. Any donations are appreciated, big or small!