Neighbourly

RSA is one of the world’s longest-serving general insurance companies. They’ve been at the heart of the insurance industry for more than 300 years, and today serve more than 9 million customers around the world. 

From its inception, RSA has been a purpose-driven organisation, with community activity embedded into its approach to business, and a variety of impact-focused schemes and initiatives including charitable donations, volunteering, matched-funding and give-as-you-earn.

First working with Neighbourly in 2019, RSA has delivered 9,698 hours of volunteering through the platform, supporting over 400 charities based across the UK & Ireland. 

In the first of a new series of “in-conversation with” interviews, Neighbourly CEO Steve Butterworth was joined for an insightful conversation with RSA’s Ruth Poulten, Social Impact & ESG Manager. In this discussion, they cover her motivations for the role, what the day-to-day for a social impact manager involves, and how RSA has significantly grown employee participation in its programmes over the past 18 months. 

Watch it and discover: 

• The qualities required to be an effective social impact manager 
• How Ruth’s background in journalism has influenced her approach to social value 
• The key strategies RSA has employed to increase employees’ participation 
• The metrics and insights most important to RSA for determining programme success 

This year we’re excited to be working with Coca-Cola on their campaign “The World Needs More Santas”, bringing the magic of Christmas to life by encouraging the embodiment of Santa’s spirit of generosity, goodwill and kindness.

The Coca-Cola Truck Tour is well known for capturing the attention of the nation, and this year they will be continuing their mission of giving with a host of interactive activities for visitors to the Truck to immerse themselves in. As well as gifting areas, gamified experiences, prizes and photo opportunities, visitors will be invited to take part in the ‘Discover Your Inner Santa’ quiz, inspired by Coca-Cola’s TV advert, to find out whether they are a Jolly-Giving Santa, a Merry-Making Santa, the Neighbourly Santa, or the Heart Warming Santa and inspire individuals to embrace this archetype and the spirit of giving this Christmas.

£100,000 fund to be donated to Neighbourly good causes across the 17 cities that the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour will be visiting

As part of our ongoing partnership with Coca-Cola, they will be further supporting the work of local charities with a volunteering scheme and £100,000 fund, to be donated via the Neighbourly Foundation to social-impact focused volunteering partners and good causes across the 17 cities that the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour will be visiting. 

The first stop is Glasgow, on Friday 24th November, where the Neighbourly hero cause is REFUWEEGEE, a charity that has been warmly welcoming refugees and asylum seekers to Glasgow, and Scotland since 2015. At the heart of the organisation is a desire to treat displaced people with dignity and care. The charity does this through providing a safe space for drop-in, emergency food and toiletry packs, a free clothes and household shop, English classes, art-therapy and free haircuts, amongst other activities.

Here at Neighbourly, we’re looking forward to visiting the Truck when it stops in Bristol, supporting SENSE FAMILY CENTRE WOODSIDE, a national disability charity that has been helping people with complex communication needs to be understood, connected and valued for over 60 years. With a simple mission to make sure no one with complex communication needs is isolated, left out or unable to fulfil their potential, Sense supports children, young people and adults in their home, the community and at its centres, from education to transitioning to adulthood through holidays, arts, sport and wellbeing programmes. 

If you would like to help Coca-Cola and Neighbourly deliver acts of kindness to those that need it most in the local community, you can donate to the fund using the link below or visit one of the Truck Tour stops to donate via the QR codes available. Stay tuned for the full Truck schedule on their socials, @CocaColaEU (Instagram) and @CocaCola_GB (Twitter).

In the summer of 2023, Hays UK&I launched their ambitious volunteer campaign ‘Hays Gets Neighbourly’ with an aim of delivering 10,000+ hours of volunteer time to local good causes. This exciting and never-before attempted goal aimed to support local communities and good causes during tough economic times when volunteer numbers are declining.

Every year Hays’ employees are given a paid volunteer day as part of their ‘Helping for your tomorrow’ initiative – and this year Hays provided each employee with a second day, between the 3rd and 14th July, to take part in the campaign.

The Neighbourly team was able to source hundreds of opportunities up and down the country and worked with Hays to engage their entire workforce with the campaign so that employees could connect with meaningful causes and deliver unprecedented impact.

Neighbourly’s in-depth reporting shows that the volunteers’ efforts supported 82,000 people across 176 good causes across the UK and Ireland.

"Working with Neighbourly enabled us to build a volunteering campaign that mobilised our workforce at an incredible scale. It has been very rewarding to see so many colleagues across the UK&I volunteer in their local communities and quantify the real change created."

- Karen Young, Director at Hays

One good cause that received volunteer help from a team of Hays employees was Hotwells Primary School, a small, nurturing primary school, nestled in the centre of Bristol. The volunteers supported by redecorating the staff room and a bathroom, as a small school with tight funds this was massively appreciated by staff.

The Chorley in Bloom Group also received a team of Hays colleagues who spent their day weeding, planting and tidying several garden areas. This work was important as the area has become a focal point for the local community and was recently used by Chorley in Bloom in their bid for North West in Bloom.

Here at Neighbourly we live and breathe local communities and good causes. So, naturally, one of our most cherished staff benefits is unlimited volunteering.

Yep, you read that right. Provided we get our jobs done, Neighbourly employees can take unlimited paid volunteering days every year.

It’s something we take huge pride in and, whilst we’re helping other businesses implement employee volunteering for themselves - it makes sense that we get stuck in too.

• You might like: How to build an engaging volunteering programme

Shedding some light into what an employee volunteering day might look like, Alice - Neighbourly’s Digital Marketing Manager, shares her day in the life, volunteering at the Community Farm near Bristol.

Volunteering at the Community Farm

The Community Farm is a not-for-profit social enterprise and community owned organic farm based in Chew Magna, near Bristol. As well as producing and delivering nature-friendly and nutritious organic veg boxes to hundreds of people in and around the Bristol area, they run a huge number of educational and wellbeing activities for all ages.

9am - Travelling to the farm

The Community Farm is set amongst beautiful countryside, right by Chew Valley Lake - about 10 miles from Bristol. As I don’t drive, I hop on my bike and cycle over to the farm following a lovely quiet (and largely off road) cycle route (thanks Sustrans!). It’s about an hour's ride but the weather is sunny and I’m glad to be outside enjoying the fresh air.

10am - Meet at the community farm yurt 

About six people are volunteering at the farm today. Some have been coming for years and volunteer every week, others pop down when they can - but it’s rare to see someone volunteer for the first time and not want to keep coming back. 

We usually start our day by meeting at the yurt. The yurt is a space used for many different farm, volunteer and community activities. It’s a fantastic space and even has its own pizza oven outside. There’s lots to do today though, so we don’t hang about. 

Gardening gloves are donned, sun cream applied and water bottles filled, we get ready to start the day.

10:15 - Broadly speaking

The first big job of the day is picking the broad beans. Despite having been picked by volunteers just a few days before, the smaller ones are already plumped up. After a quick lesson on picking technique and how to spot the biggest and plumpest broad beans, we get to it.

There’s always some good chat from volunteer coordinator Ian whilst we’re working on farm tasks. Today he is telling us all about this book he’s been reading called ‘Immense World’ by award-winning science writer Ed Yong which talks about the amazing power of animal senses. 

His favourite fact from the book was the discovery that just 1mg of Atta Texana (Texas leafcutter ant) pheromone could theoretically lead a column of ants round the world three(!) times.

Ants aside, I find picking broad beans quite peaceful and meditative and before I know it we’ve plucked over 80kg of broad beans between us. Time for some well-earned lunch.

1pm - Lunch (and cake)

Sitting under the garden shelter we eat our lunch whilst chatting to some of the farm staff, one of whom brought cake as this was his last day working at the farm before moving on to pastures anew. 

Not long into our lunch break, another team member comes rushing out of the kitchen. She’s found a baby shrew in the sink! The farm is full of wildlife but this particular find is especially cute. Whilst little shrew doesn’t seem too impressed about being removed from the sink, we feel it’s in its best interests.

2pm - Heave hoe

After lunch it’s off to the brassicas. In organic farming, some weeds can be useful as they keep the pests out - but these lanes of purple kale and cavolo nero have become a little overrun. Time to give them some space with a round of hoeing.

Hoes are a tool that efficiently scrape away the weeds in between the plants and, with weak roots, proved quite a satisfying task. In just a few hours, we’ve cleared the weeds and it’s time to wrap up for the day.

4pm - Get yer veg on the edge

The Community Farm aims for absolutely nothing to go to waste. Their walk-in fridge contains a shelf called ‘veg on the edge’ which is a free-for-all for staff and volunteers to collect anything that’s wonky or needs using up quickly.

I grab some courgettes, a green pepper, some broccoli and an amazing looking conjoined cucumber as my ‘earnings’ for the day.

Outside the fridge often sits a crate of veg that’s gone a touch too far or is a little woody. This gets sent off to be fed to the pigs.

There is also a community of pickers called ‘gleaners’ in the UK that come to the farm to pick whatever's been left in the field. Home growers know that sometimes you just get such a huge glut of something (courgettes and runner beans seem to be common ones) that you just can’t pick and use it all up - and it’s the same at the Community Farm. 

The gleaners that come to the Community Farm come to pick all that’s left and transport it to be distributed by local food banks and community kitchens.

4:30 - Rolling home

It’s been a tiring but fulfilling day at the farm and I leave for the cycle back to Bristol with a smile on my face. 

With the heat of high summer, I can’t resist a little stop for rest and water at the top of this hill - plus it gives me time to enjoy the view.

Reflections

Being able to volunteer is incredibly important to me as an employee at Neighbourly - enabling connection to my local community to be something I can experience not only in my spare time but as part of my working life. At the same time, it's extremely concerning to see and hear about the impact the cost-of-living crisis is having on the most vulnerable people and the organisations that support them.

The Community Farm has been hitting the local headlines of late. Having lost 50% of its organic veg box subscribers in the last year, as many households cut down on spending, they are now on the brink of closure. Along with the thousands of small charities and good causes across the UK and Ireland, this crisis is already taking its toll - and it’s the contribution of volunteer time, funding and the support of customers that will help prevent the collapse of this incredible web of community support.

It’s also why it’s ever more important for businesses to embrace or further embed their employee volunteering programmes. Not only so that staff can see that their employer is invested in the causes they care most about - but to enable real action by real people in communities during a time of immense suffering and hardship, allowing us all to weather the storm.

This year Neighbourly has released a brand new guide ‘Volunteering: The Key to Employee Engagement’ - if you’d like to find out more about employee volunteering or how to create scale and maximise a corporate volunteering programme, it’s a great place to start.

It's been just 6 months since we partnered with Getir, the rapid grocery delivery company, to help them deliver a UK-wide food surplus distribution scheme. In that time Getir has donated over a quarter of a million meals to local charities and good causes.

"We are now getting more fresh food and snacks for our families"

As more families across the country have been reaching out to food banks and other organisations to receive a full and healthy meal, Getir has provided access to its stores so that surplus food can be donated via the Neighbourly platform, distributing more than 260,000 meals to over 280 local charities and good causes across the UK. The nourishing meals donated, that otherwise would have been sent to waste, were worth half a million pounds and saved a staggering 395 tonnes of CO2.

“The impact we are having on local communities is important to Getir,” said Kristof Van Beveren, General Manager at Getir. “We know this is an uncertain and challenging time for many families, but where we can, we always want to be a company that cares for those people who need our help.”

Meeting need in local communities

Our latest Community Insights survey revealed that 86% of food banks across the country have reported an increase in demand over the last three months, with an estimated rise of 41% more people looking for support at some food banks.

• You might like: Neighbourly Community Insights Summer 2022

As demand increases, partnerships with businesses like Getir go a long way in providing extra support at a critical time for local services on the ground. Rehoboth Community Outreach Club, just one of the good causes benefitting from Getir’s partnership with Neighbourly, said on Twitter: “We could not do the work we are doing in local communities without the support of giving platforms like Neighbourly working in partnership with Getir and many more supermarkets to end food poverty.”

The Store Cupboard W7 have also taken to Twitter to thank Getir for their contributions, saying: “Thanks to Neighbourly and Getir we are now getting more fresh food and snacks for our families. All much appreciated.”

Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, added: “We’re delighted to be supporting [Getir] with their surplus food programme which is donating quality to local organisations. 250,000 meals is a great milestone and those meals will have made such a difference for many people in the community that are struggling with the cost of living crisis.”

A recent survey of over 1,200 small charities and local good causes in Neighbourly’s network has highlighted a rise in demand as the biggest concern this winter. 

Whilst demand overall appears to be just over 2% higher than this time last year, with causes supporting an average of 372 people per week, it is 24% up from mid way through the first wave of the pandemic in June 2020 when the average figure was 299 per week.

Similar patterns have emerged from the Trussell Trust, the UK’s largest network of food banks, where its CEO Emma Revie recently told the Guardian: “Food banks in our network continue to see more and more people facing destitution” - after finding that their network had seen an 11% rise in winter demand when compared to the same period in 2019. 

"More families are struggling to put on decent meals for the family during the Christmas holidays"

In particular for food banks in the Neighbourly network, a huge 92% believe that this will be their busiest Christmas on record. For many of the good causes with the highest concerns around demand, the story is the same. Families struggling with the impacts of the pandemic and rising costs of living simply can’t afford the basic pleasures of Christmas that many others take for granted. 

Simple Norfolk is a charitable organisation providing services and volunteering opportunities to young people. Charity Director, Carla Barreto, said : “More families are struggling to put on decent meals for the family during the Christmas holidays. At the peak of winter with fuel costs and additional holiday spending, many just do not have enough money left for food.”

Economic trends

Compounding the concern is financial stability - the second greatest challenge for small charities and good causes, after rising demand. Almost half of respondents said they have seen a drop in income in the past 3 months, whilst two-thirds also expect demand to continue to rise in the next three months. Around 20% think the rise could be over 50% on current levels.

For Moorlands Community Charity, which supports older people, young people and those experiencing social isolation, funding is especially needed at Christmas to support those who might otherwise go without. 

"We provide a great deal of social activities for adults, children, families and young people that would not normally have the means to access these," says Jacky Crawford, CEO at Moorlands. "We also provide Christmas presents to children and young people and our food bank is particularly busy as many can't afford food at Christmas."

These findings are a reflection of recent findings from the New Economics Foundation that suggest that half of families are £110 a year worse off since 2019. 

With the £20 Universal Credit uplift now removed, 86% of causes are concerned about the impact this will have on their organisation and the community they operate in. The end of the furlough scheme and rising gas prices are also sources of concern, with 62% very or extremely concerned about the impact of increased fuel costs. What’s more, 69% are very or extremely worried about access to sufficient nutritious food for the people they support.

These economic concerns are all the more worrying for good causes that support local communities experiencing the highest levels of poverty and deprivation, where their services are critical for the health and wellbeing needs of the people they help. 

"People have been struggling all year"

"Many people in the community are unemployed, working poor or have had their furlough payments come to an end," confirms Maureen Chaseley of The Marketplace community larder, for which this is the first Christmas they have been able to open since the start of the pandemic.

Yvie Bernett at Chirk Community Agent adds: "People have been struggling all year and are now being hit with reductions in universal credit and removal of furlough payments at the same time as prices are rising rapidly - particularly fuel and food costs."

An emotional toll

As a result, frontline charities and community causes are feeling the pressure. As part of this quarter’s survey we asked causes to rate how they are feeling at the moment. Using the net promoter score (NPS) framework to create a sentiment score which ranges from a low of -100 to a high of +100, we found the result was -33. Anything under a score of 0 is painting a negative picture.

When we asked a similar question about how causes feel things are for the local communities and the people they are supporting, the average score dropped to -77. 

For secondary schools, where concern for the impact of the pandemic on teenage pupils is naturally evident, the score was -100. Similarly, mental health charities which are looking after some of the country’s most vulnerable people, reported this measure as -89. 

As our previous survey conducted in early summer 2021 showed, mental health remains number one on the list of concerns when it comes to beneficiaries - with three quarters rating it as either very or extremely concerning. 

Prioritising community impact

Charities and good causes operating at a local level are performing vital work and have stepped in to deliver front-line services that go way beyond their pre-pandemic remit at a time when traditional methods of generating income have been disrupted. 

Many local charities have been forced to do more with less during the last two years and have demonstrated phenomenal agility and creativity - drawing upon local knowledge, resources and goodwill to deliver what communities truly need, and fast.

As a result, the need for financial support is greater than ever, particularly in light of the uncertainties of new Covid variants and the threat of further lock-downs. In the last six months alone, Neighbourly has disbursed over £1m in local community grants through partnerships with Sainsbury’s and Virgin Media O2, which has been amazing. This is in addition to support from Southern Co-op, RSA, Aldi, M&S, Lidl, Cadent, Coca-Cola EP, Danone, giffgaff, Heineken and the B&Q Foundation.

Businesses like these have huge potential to make a difference to local communities whilst meeting their own CSR and ESG objectives - linking up with the good causes that have the local knowledge and connections to make the biggest impact, at scale.

Good causes can join our 18,000+ community for free, to access grant funding programmes, food and product surplus and employee volunteer resources, as well as adding their voice to our regular community surveys.

For businesses wanting to connect with and support local communities, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter - or click the blue ‘Get in touch’ button below to book a demo.

This month the B&Q Foundation hit a milestone £1.3M in funds donated to local good causes.

Through a Neighbourly grants management programme, the B&Q Foundation has so far awarded grants of up to £5000 to over 250 registered charities that help to make life better for people in need our local communities.

From improving the safety of a home for someone with a disability, to providing residential support for people with no home of their own – the organisations it backs are making a difference to those who don’t have access to what most of us take for granted.

We caught up with five organisations, including those featured in the video below - and some of which were the first to receive a grant from the B&Q Foundation in late 2020, to find out what these vital funds have meant for them and those they support in their local communities.

The Sick Children’s Trust

Check out the video below which tells the story of B&Q Foundation’s work with The Sick Children's Trust's Eckersley House in London.

Roundabout

Roundabout is a youth housing charity based in Sheffield that supports young care leavers at risk of homelessness.

After receiving a £5000 grant from the B&Q Foundation, they were able to complete the refurbishment of a new property ‘Glencoe Road’ that will enable the charity to support an estimated 14 young people a year with safe and supportive move-on accommodation.

"This project will give [young people] the chance to turn their lives around”

Neil Marshall, Group Living Manager at Roundabout told us: “I feel really proud of what we’ve achieved collectively at Glencoe Road. It’s been a challenge through lockdown because of government restrictions and access to stock, but I’m really happy with the level of provision and the finish.”

Ben Keegan, CEO of Roundabout added: “This project means so much to us at Roundabout and so much to the young people who live here. The young people have had such difficult lives to get to this point. This amazing project will really give them the chance to turn their lives around.”

Woolwich Service Users Project

WSUP is a grass-roots project, run entirely by volunteers, that provides both practical and emotional support to those seeking help in the local community.

In September 2020, they were able to secure a new location in which to base their community support centre but were in need of cash to carry out vital refurbishment and repair work in order to re-open to the public.

"This is transformational for our charity and the people who benefit from our work”

Tracy Stringfellow, Chair at WSUP explained: “The B&Q Foundation’s generous grant contributed to the second phase of our capital programme for our new building. The funds enabled us to complete our decoration and the building now looks amazing.

“It has gone from a wet, leaky building with green stuff growing up the walls, to a bright, watertight space with floors. This is transformational for our charity and the people who benefit from our work.”

Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice

Northern Ireland Children's Hospice is the only service of its kind in Northern Ireland. In September 2020, they received a grant of £3,690 to help them build a Summer House in the gardens of Horizon House, their specialist hospice in Newtownabbey. This is a disability-accessible area that will help children with life-limiting conditions enjoy the outdoors and will benefit the children they look after, their families, and the Children’s Hospice staff.

The majority of the children who rely on Horizon House are immobile or are wheelchair users. They often don't have the ability to investigate and play in their surroundings like most of their peers and generally spend very little time outdoors. With this Summer House, the Hospice nurses can help them safely experience more activities outdoors, protected from the sun and other elements.

Grace Stewart, Head of Children’s Services at Northern Ireland Hospice, said: “We’d like to thank the B&Q Foundation for the funding. Being able to build our summer house is going to make a real difference to the children. We want to focus on them living each day to its fullest, and providing a space that helps the children spend more time outdoors is vital in helping them feel relaxed and comfortable while providing sensory stimulus.”

The Haven Wolverhampton

The Haven Wolverhampton supports women and children vulnerable to abuse, and homelessness. At any one time, the charity supports approximately 67 women and 100 children across Wolverhampton through anonymously located accommodation, and also supports those living in their own homes.

The B&Q Foundation gave a grant of £4,888 to the Haven to help them to furnish a new safe house property, which will increase their capacity to provide vital support for women and children fleeing domestic abuse.

While some women enjoy the communal and social benefits of a refuge, for some women, moving into shared accommodation is a huge barrier to leaving their abuser.

“Staying here has helped me sleep better as I feel safe”

“Lisa” experienced psychological and physical abuse at the hands of her husband. She was scared to wake up in the morning because the abuse started straight away. Lisa and her 11-year old daughter were living in fear and Lisa felt that moving into a shared refuge would heighten her anxiety levels. As such, she received support in a Haven safe house.

She said: “I now see a future for us and staying here has helped me sleep better as I feel safe. It has really supported me and my daughter to become independent and live a full life. We now have a quality of life that we didn’t have before. My daughter is over the moon - she has told me she loves it here.”

Sarah Abbiss, Grants Manager at the Haven said: “We are delighted that the B&Q Foundation has been able to make a grant to furnish a safe house for women and children fleeing domestic abuse. This will mean we are able to support more women and children who desperately need to escape harm's way. They will have a warm, safe, and cosy place to live and get plenty of good nights’ sleep until they are ready to take their next steps.

"They will also have access to a range of wraparound support from The Haven, such as counselling and therapies to help them to overcome the trauma of what they have experienced.”

What’s next

Whilst the B&Q Foundation grants have already had a phenomenal impact so far, the fund continues to support new charities as the months go on.

Registered charities in the UK looking for support for a project to improve homes or community space for those most in need in the local community, can register interest on B&Q’s Neighbourly page here.

Neighbourly’s latest Community Survey of over 1,100 local good causes cites major concerns ahead as the removal of the Government’s Universal Credit uplift and the end of the furlough scheme looms over many of the country’s most vulnerable citizens.

While covid cases may be showing signs of levelling off, the number of people in need is not. Being at the heart of communities, local charitable organisations and their volunteers are addressing specific social and environmental problems at a hyper local level. But concerns and needs must be recognised to ensure that adequate support goes to those struggling the most.

Removal of government safety nets 

Since March 2020, the average number of people a local good cause supports each week has risen by 187% to a record 417 - a number that has increased consistently every quarter. 

During this time, many of those most in need have been supported by a temporary £20 a week uplift in Universal Credit, whilst millions have kept their jobs and 80% of their salary through the Government’s Furlough scheme.

With both of these support systems set to be removed at the end of September, it’s predicted that a huge number of people will fall through these financial safety nets, plunging thousands of adults and children into poverty and exacerbating existing social issues, food insecurity and mental health problems.

For good causes on the ground this is a massive concern, with 63% seeing the removal of the Universal Credit top up and ceasing of the furlough scheme as the top reasons for an increase in future demand.

On average, groups expect these factors, plus the end of covid restrictions, to increase demand for their services by 33%.This could equate to an additional 140 people per good cause needing support every week. 

Applied to Neighbourly’s entire network of charities and community groups across the UK and Ireland, this could mean the equivalent of over 2.3 million people needing additional support in the next three months.

Regional differences

Whilst these changes will impact people across the country, our Community Survey data suggests that some areas may be impacted more than others.

Of the groups that responded to the survey, the majority based in Wales (80%) and Northern Ireland (75%) predict that the removal of the Universal Credit top up will lead to an increase in demand for services, the highest prediction of all regions, when compared to 43% of good causes in the South West.

These regions were also the most and least likely (respectively) to report concern for an increase in need due to the furlough scheme coming to an end.

Local good causes are unique in that they can respond to the exact needs of their communities. As this data shows, certain issues and concerns are more prevalent in certain regions over others, giving us the opportunity to respond to the exact needs of individual communities and having the biggest possible impact.

The domino effect

With all of these changes, respondents have told us where their greatest concerns lie. For the second time in six months, the mental health of service users is right at the top of the list with 97% citing at least some concern and 60% rating it as something they were either very or extremely concerned about.

Along with mental health concerns, half of good causes told us they are very or extremely concerned about income streams and lack of government support for underprivileged children during the school holidays. Just under half are concerned about financial struggles and physical health issues amongst those they support, along with rising Covid-19 virus rates causing disruption to vital services. 

Understanding the data

We know a great deal of positive impact can be had at scale with the right funding. We’ve seen this with unrestricted Neighbourly Community Fund grants that supported the delivery of vital services and aid during the Covid-19 pandemic - and then again with funds from our partners through the Neighbourly Foundation which has reached almost £3M in the last 12 months. 

• Read more: Neighbourly Foundation launches to provide sustainable emergency support to local community causes

Funds that have gone through the Neighbourly Foundation since the start of this year include Aldi’s Hunger Monster campaign, which has raised funding specifically for groups looking after children and families experiencing food poverty. This came after survey data from organisations in Neighbourly’s network at the end of last year estimated that 96% of children supported with food provision were missing a meal every single week.

• Read more: Aldi pledges to donate 10 million meals to families facing hunger 

Our insights also show that, financially, there has been some recovery for some types of charities. For example, 8% of respondents told us they have seen an increase in funds in the last 3 months, with almost a quarter saying their income remained stable. Food banks have seen the best recovery when compared to other types of good cause, with just under 40% telling us that their income has remained stable or risen.That said, with the consistent rise in demand taken into account, this income in many cases is being stretched further than it ever has before.

Moreover, the majority of good causes have still seen consistent reductions in funding in the last year. Almost half (49%) have reported a drop in income in the last 3 months, with nearly 1 in 10 saying the drop had been as much as 75% or more. 

The worst affected include community centres, elderly care centres and youth clubs of which almost a quarter have seen a drop in income of at least 50% in the last 3 months.

Creating local impact at scale

To help us understand broadly what these charities and community groups need to tackle their biggest concerns, we asked them to rank needs in order of importance.

Unrestricted and targeted grants are number one on the list for all types of good cause as they look to prepare for an anticipated rise in demand and respond to more complex needs in the community such as growing mental health concerns and those impacted by poor physical health.

Grants and funding is crucial in that it can provide immediate and targeted relief through a huge range of different impact themes. However the breadth of positive change that can be achieved doesn’t just come from funding.

Over half of respondents rate donations of food and products as one of their highest needs. For the 35% of good causes that began some sort of food provision within their local community as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ability to collect and redistribute surplus food means they can react quickly and locally to the growing problem of food insecurity.

Equally, a third told us that they are providing food parcels for children during the school holiday with 18% providing holiday clubs and 15% providing lunch clubs.

• Read more: Food Insecurity: Tackled by our Local Communities

For these kinds of organisations, surplus food and the provision of good nutrition is critical to maintaining the health and wellbeing of their service users. Not needing to purchase food often has the additional benefit of freeing up funds for complimentary services that support people struggling in other areas of their lives.

Impact at scale

It’s not just food that makes a difference either. Surplus products such as the hundreds of refurbished laptops RSA insurance donated when they had a tech refresh has given those most in need a means to connect with others, access education and find work.

Volunteering remains a vital resource, with a vast number of small charities and community groups relying either heavily or completely on volunteer support. As well as enabling them to reach more people in need, volunteer support can help these organisations to grow, access funding and more. 

With our latest research showing that employer-led volunteer programmes lead to a happier workforce, there’s a huge opportunity for employers to bridge this gap in volunteer numbers whilst connecting with local communities and boosting employee wellbeing at the same time.  

Whilst the situation might look incredibly challenging on paper, with seemingly impossible situations on the horizon for both local good causes and the millions of people they support, there is clear data that shows exactly what is needed, where it is needed and how it can most effectively be delivered.

The good news is that much of this data is a prediction ahead of time and there is still time to respond. The knock on effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have been huge and we’re not out of the woods yet. Whilst funding and grants programmes have continued throughout this crisis, they need to be continually scaled up and scaled out, with more businesses investing in their communities - be that through volunteers, funds or surplus - to deliver impact at scale.

If you're a business that wants to deliver positive impact at scale by donating volunteer time, money or surplus food or products, tell us your challenges or ask us a question by getting in touch - just click the blue button below. You can also follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for regular news and insights.

• Read last quarter’s insights: Spring Community Insights: Local good causes integral to recovery from pandemic

This month we were pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with Virgin Media O2.

At the start of June, Virgin Media and O2 formally combined to form Virgin Media O2 - now the UK's largest mobile network with a broadband network - and they've set up a brand new 'Together Fund' worth £500,000 to support local charities and good causes as the nation begins to emerge from the pandemic.  

Neighbourly is incredibly proud to be partnering with what is now one of the biggest businesses in the UK to help them deliver much needed funds to local causes championing community spirit, belonging and togetherness across the UK.

Following a round of applications, 400 local good causes have been allocated a grant from the fund - with many of them nominated by Virgin Media O2 staff themselves.

Thank You Day

To kick things off - Neighbourly, Virgin Media O2 and all the good causes involved will be supporting the nation’s first Thank You Day, coordinated by the Together Coalition on the 4th July.

Thank You Day is where millions come together in a small way in their local communities to give back and say thank you - to friends, family, neighbours, volunteers, postal workers, NHS staff and everyone in between that has helped us get through what has been an unprecedented time.

As part of this, many of the good causes in receipt of a Together Fund grant will be hosting their own micro-events to say thanks.

One cause taking part on the 4th July is The Spitz Charitable Trust which enriches opportunities for participation in live music in care homes and day centres.

In Bridgeside Lodge Care Home (BSL) in Islington, where the charity’s office is based, Spitz has been running outdoor live music sessions for elderly residents - using a tablet to relay the music to those unable to be outside - helping reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness.

“ [Spitz staff] have ensured the continuity of happiness, emotional recreation and well-being”

Fatma Makalo, General Manager at BSL explains: "We've seen the special bond the Spitz staff have built with our residents. During the pandemic it's been a very dark time so it's been really important that we have some sort of joy. We knew the residents and staff loved music, that's why I felt the Spitz needed to spend more time at Bridgeside Lodge. It's ensured the continuity of happiness, emotional recreation and well-being." 

Spitz will be using part of the grant they received from the Together Fund to purchase two more tablets so that their live broadcasts can reach more isolated people unable to attend their sessions in person - including a special Thank You Day music event at the care home on the 4th July itself.

Bringing communities together

Not only will the Virgin Media O2 Together fund enable good causes to celebrate and say thank you on the 4th of July, but the fund will enable them to invest in initiatives that will bring communities together and improve wellbeing in the longer-term.

Live Unlimited, a charity that supports looked-after children and young care leavers in Barnet, will be using the funding towards their Outdoor Club.

Outdoor Club gets looked-after children aged 9-13 outside enjoying forest school activities. These include using tools, making fires, cooking on a fire, climbing trees, swinging in hammocks and generally hanging out and having fun. The added benefit for these young looked after children is that Outdoor Club enables them to be around others who've experienced trauma and understand what they are going through.

“This is the first thing he has loved doing in a group”

Despite being only recently piloted, Outdoor Club has had a tremendous impact on the children involved. Foster Carer Mellie said: "He is absolutely loving it. It's the highlight of his week. He is autistic and doesn't join in things, preferring to be by himself, and this is the first thing he has loved doing in a group. 

"The first time he went it was raining and I was worried he wouldn't like it, but he came back muddy and filthy and talked about all the things he'd done. It's just what he needed and has made a real difference to him."

Get involved

Whilst the Together Fund grants have now been fully allocated and applications closed, good causes and community groups can still get involved by celebrating Thank You Day on Sunday 4th July.

For inspiration, head to the Thank You Day website for guides and ideas for creating a special day. If you are doing something to celebrate Thank You Day, don’t forget to shout about it on social media with the hashtag #ThankYouDay and tag @nbrly and @VMO2news on Twitter or NbrlyUK on Facebook.

If you’re a business that’s looking to find out more about the Neighbourly platform and our grant management programmes, please click the blue ‘Info for businesses’ button below.

RSA, one of the largest insurers in the UK, has launched a new £250,000 grant programme to support charities that are working to improve risk education, as well as those helping to tackle climate change and environmental related issues.

The programme, which will be managed via the Neighbourly platform, is open to applications from registered charities, community groups and community interest companies until 2 July 2021. RSA plans to send grants of up to £10,000 to successful applicants by the end of July 2021.

The news comes during Small Charities Week between 14 – 19 June, which celebrates the essential work of the UK’s small charity sector who make an invaluable contribution to the lives of millions of individuals, communities and causes across the UK and the rest of the world.

"We want to support charities who are playing a critical role in their communities"

To secure a grant, charities will need to demonstrate their projects share RSA’s ambition to improve risk education for road, home, cycle and online safety, as well as child safety, ideally driving behaviour change. It is also open to charities with programmes that are tackling climate change, conservation and offsetting carbon emissions. 

Applicants must be based in the UK or the Republic of Ireland (including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man), and RSA is looking to support projects that will be completed within six months of receiving the grant.

Details on how to apply and the full entry criteria are available online here: RSA Climate Change and Education Grants | Neighbourly.

Laura Spiers, Head of Corporate Responsibility at RSA, said: “It’s been a tough year for charities, particularly small local causes, and we hope our new grant programme helps provide them with some of the investment they need to further build on the excellent work they do. 

“Through the programme, we want to support charities who are playing a critical role in their communities. With RSA being one of the largest insurers in the UK, tackling climate change and helping people manage their risks in areas like road safety are hugely important to us and the work of innovative local charities can really help to move the dial. We look forward to reviewing applications after the window closes on 2 July.”

Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, said: “If we really want to build back better, local action built on local insights must come first – never has there been a greater need to respect and respond to the ingenuity and expertise of local charities and community groups. The UK faces major societal and environmental challenges, and small charities must be supported to ensure that communities not only survive but thrive.

"Small charities have been the backbone of our communities throughout the pandemic – and they will help to shape our recovery, as well as having a vital role in combatting the climate crisis as we head towards the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals. We hope RSA’s new grant programme can help to enable and inspire small charities to continue their brilliant work.”