The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 44: Aug/Sept 2019 | Page 40
POSITIVE BUSINESS
Wiltshire Community Foundation:
Inspiring local giving
The Wiltshire Community Foundation is dedicated to supporting the hundreds of small groups in
Wiltshire who do such vital and often unheralded work.
In England and Wales, there are 1666,000
registered charities with a total income of
£73b - but 72 per cent of that income goes to
just one per cent of the largest charities, i.e.
those with an income of more than £5m.
In the West of England, there are
around 3,600 registered charities, most
with an annual income of less than
£25,000. More than half have fewer than
ten staff, three-quarters have seen that
number decline in the last year and more
than two-thirds rely on an average of 73
hours of volunteer support a week.
Fewer than half of charities and
community groups surveyed recently felt
confident they could sustain themselves
over the next five years. One in ten had
been at risk of closure, while a third had
discontinued at least one service.
Yet three-quarters of those same
groups report rising demand, while just 20
per cent believe they have the resources
to cope with that demand. Of those, 65
per cent say they will have to use their
reserves to stay afloat.
This is why the support of corporate
partners is more vital than ever. Working
with companies like TE Connectivity (TE)
in Swindon - which has built up a £250,000
endowment over the course of ten years
with the foundation - the Wiltshire
Community Foundation has been able
to make thousands of pounds worth of
grants to local groups who make a real
difference to their communities.
At a time when there is a growing
demand on the charity sector to fill the
gap left by increasingly deeper public
sector cuts, it is vital that money is
channelled to the people who use it most
effectively. The Wiltshire Community
Foundation see its role as being here to
ensure that this happens.
Neil Steptoe, Corporate Ambassador
for TE, said that the firm trusts the
foundation to use its money “where it is
needed most.”
He explained, “We feel that we want to
give something back to the community
where most of our employees are and
because the community foundation knows
the area and the groups who work in it so
well we know that the money we give will
be used to the best effect.”
Find out more about the Wiltshire
Community Foundation’s work and how it
can help companies fulfil their Corporate
Social Responsibility by visiting:
www.wiltshirecf.org.uk
The Big Breakfast in Swindon, which provides food
and a warm welcome for the homeless, is one of the
groups funded by TE Connectivity’s donation.
Home-Start Kennet, which supports isolated mums
and their families with volunteer mentors, is one
of the hundreds of small local groups funded by
Wiltshire Community Foundation grants.
SWINDON HOMELESS CHARITY APPEALS FOR SUPPORT
Swindon Night Shelter, the charity which
provides support for rough sleepers, the
homeless and those who are vulnerably housed,
has launched two fundraising schemes to
become more financially sustainable.
Celebrating ten years in 2019, Swindon Night
Shelter has grown and developed its services
and has helped thousands of people over the
last decade. However maintaining these services
is costly for an organisation which receives no
grant funding from government, nationally or
locally.
They have just launched a Friends of Swindon
Night Shelter initiative and also a business
sponsorship scheme to help meet monthly bills.
Organiser Becky Davison said, “We are
privileged to have helped others as part of
this Christian-based organisation. We wish
to continue this work so we need to become
financially sustainable. These schemes will help
us to do that.”
Swindon Night Shelter and its army of
volunteers support five main projects around
homelessness in the town set up to prevent,
homelessness, isolation and holiday hunger.
Becky and the team are now asking people
to consider donating on a monthly basis to help
with ongoing costs.
“A donation of £5 a month covers internet
costs for a month to support guests with claims
and accessing essential services online while
they are with us. £10 a month more or less
covers the cost of a TV licence so they can enjoy
an activity most of us take for granted and £25
covers the road tax for our vans which are on
the road every day collecting food, donations
and taking our guests to appointments or to a
shelter,” Becky explained.
Businesses around the town are also being
asked to consider donating on a more consistent
basis too. There are opportunities to become:
• A main partner - £1000 a month which covers
the cost of food and utility bills.
• An official business partner - £500 a month
which pays the wages of a part-time donations
coordinator.
• An official supplier – able to offer a range of
free or heavily discounted services or products
including an electrician, book-keeper or
accountant.
For more details on the opportunities on offer visit:
www.swindonnightshelter.uk or call 01793 613116 during office hours.
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THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2019