Thousands of charities have urged the government to create an emergency fund through the #RightNow campaign. Over 800 charities and leaders have signed an open letter to the prime minister and 2,500 have supported the #RightNow campaign on Twitter.
The campaign was coordinated by the #NeverMoreNeeded coalition and calls for additional funding to support charities as many continue to struggle to fundraise during lockdown, but at the same time have seen demand for services increase.
Responding to the campaign, the government did not commit to any future support for the sector.
A spokesperson said that last year’s support was “an unprecedented multi-billion-pound package of support, which is by far the most generous in Europe”.
More than 15,000 charities had received extra funds from the £750m package, and the spokesperson said: “Wider government support schemes have helped many more.”
The government has also been under pressure for extra support from other sectors, such has hospitality, which have legally been ordered to close.
The government spokesperson added that the government would continue to listen to charities and urged the public to donate. “Charities will continue to benefit from this major investment in the sector in the coming months. Whilst we continue to work closely with the sector to understand where pressures are being felt, we also encourage the public to support our charities in whatever way they can.”
The full item is available on Civil Society News.
How you can get involved
The #RightNow campaign is looking for as many charities and voluntary organisations, and their supporters, to get involved in three main ways:
o Have your organisation sign the open letter for Government and complete the consent form: https://bit.ly/NMNEmergencySupportFund
o Share posts about the vital work your charity is doing on social media using the #RightNow and #NeverMoreNeeded hashtags, and encourage your followers to do the same.
o Send stats and stories on the breadth, depth and impact of the work you are doing that could support the campaign to Tilly at nmn@smallcharities.org.uk
For more details and examples on getting involved, you can download the briefing campaign document HERE or view the briefing webinar at https://vimeo.com/508030675 (Password: #NeverMoreNeededFeb2021).
Further information is available on the #NeverMoreNeeded website.
