The pandemic has shone a spotlight on the importance of smaller charities, voluntary groups and organisations. In the face of increased need, logistical challenges, and a lack of funding, they’ve kept listening to and supporting those who need them.

Via our Inspiring Impact programme, we have launched a new collection of stories from some of these organisations. One of our Inspiring Impact programme partners, NCVO, spoke to 16 groups across England over the last couple of months, to understand how they have adapted and reimaged their services in response to the pandemic.

We are proud to lead the Inspiring Impact programme across the UK, offering free online resources and peer learning events to organisations who want to better understand and improve the difference they make. These new stories are now on the Inspiring Impact website as written case studies and podcasts, along with a ‘top tips’ guide which runs through the best measurement and evaluation advice we learnt from these organisations. These new resources share real-life examples of the challenges and opportunities faced by organisations looking to improve their impact.

Given the size of these organisations, most of them focus their efforts on a particular place. A place-based approach considers the whole community—how it works and what it needs—and collaborates with different sectors to make a lasting difference to people’s lives. At NPC, during the pandemic, we saw how relationships were formed or deepened between residents, local councils, the private sector and the third sector.

One story in our new collection came from Incredible Edible Marshland, a very small volunteer-led group that aims to use growing and sharing to bring together residents from five rural villages in the East Riding of Yorkshire (they are part of a UK-wide federation of groups). They’ve recently worked with local businesses and other community groups to provide meals; deliver shopping and medicine; distribute grow boxes; and to support local micro-businesses that have popped up. Clear goals and regular communication via WhatsApp groups and Facebook pages have improved coordination and helped enable a, ‘Mexican wave of generosity in the villages,’ according to one volunteer.

Read the full article about working on place-based organizations by Dan Corry at NPC.