Description
TLC Zoom
Wednesday 31st July 2024 @ 18:00 BST
Is the Charity Sector Broken?
Kay Hallsworth MA, MIHM, FCMI
Kay wrote to me recently as she had some real concerns generally over the charity sector. She has wide and relevant experience of the sector, within military charities, local charities and as a service user so her views are timely and relevant.
Her concerns and thoughts revolved around as she sees it.
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Multiple organisations seeking funding and support;
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less money available from both government and the public;
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poor management and leadership in small charities and
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an ever-increasing surplus of military charities who don’t see the help they need in the civilian sector
the issues are indeed complex.
There is more and more reliance from both local and national government on volunteers, charities and the good of the people to provide services previously funded and led by councils and national bodies. From everything such as basic care for those with disabilities and additional support needs to provision of emergency responses to local, national and international incidents there are increasing demands on the community sector to step up but there is little funding focussed in the right places.
Many small charities are run by volunteers, people who have been there and committed to their specific cause but with little experience in management, finance, governance and risk. They run on good will and favours with little efficiency or forward planning. Then those who do have the skills, those coming out of the military as mid level managers don’t see the help they need or can’t communicate well with the civilian sector so end up setting up and running their own charities with little to no experience or identifying the real need.
There are now in excess of 1800 military charities in the UK, if the skills and resources of some of these were utilised better in the civilian sector there could be a significant upskill and improved performance of the civilian sector.
Biography
Kay spent 28 years in the Royal Navy and QARNNS as both a nurse and as a Medical Services Officer and has worked across a wide variety of jobs in the UK and overseas. In 2020 she was named as the inaugural Naval Servicewoman of the Year.
A compassionate and inclusive leader, she is a highly experienced specialist with a history of delivering medical operational capabilities in the Defence Medical Services. She left the Royal Navy in March 2021 to take up a position as the Operations Manager for The Association of Royal Navy Officers and Royal Navy Officers Charity where she has developed a keen interest in the charity and community sector. She became CEO of Gosport Voluntary Action in February 2022
Kay is married to Neil, an Army Veteran, and they have 2 children Carta, 18, and Hugh 13. She and Neil also run their own business, Explorer Coffees.
