The pandemic’s effect on charities has been profound on so many levels.

Fundraising and trading income has plummeted for many, just as demand for their services continues to rise. As a result a funding gap has opened, which experts estimate could be up to £10bn until the end of 2020.

CAF’s UK Giving Covid-19 Special Report offers us some cause for cheer as polling conducted for CAF by YouGov found that despite the challenges of the pandemic, household levels of charitable giving remain steady. But these findings are little comfort to the one in four UK charities that have told us that without significant help they do not believe they can survive for a year.

Here, we take a look at some of the factors at play for different charities which might help flesh out the scale of the funding crisis they face.

Some charities, most notably NHS Charities Together, have gained both profile and support during the pandemic, either through their own efforts or via broader appeals and campaigns that have helped to motivate people to give. However, at the same time many charities such as foodbanks have seen demand soar beyond what even an increase in donations can match. Others have faced drops in income; the closed charity shops, lost entrance fees, the opportunity to give via charity tins that many people do not even think to report as part of their charitable giving all adds up and the scale of these is such that donations cannot be expected to fill the gap. This helps to explain why both messages can be right, even if they perhaps feel contradictory: giving is not down, but large parts of the sector are still in financial distress or even at the brink of disappearing.

Read the full article about nonprofits during COVID-19 by Daniel Ferrell-Schweppenstedde at Charities Aid Foundation.