Supporting the Essence of Small and Medium-Sized UK Charities

Abstract

Small and medium-sized charities (SMCs) in the UK are recognised for their distinct approach to community work which values relationships, provides more personalised care, and holds a holistic understanding of development. In order to effectively support SMCs big donors, need to understand and learn how to value the particular way in which such charities practice and conceptualise social transformation. Despite the scarce financial resources, smaller organisations are believed to outperform their larger equivalents in terms of fostering relationships and providing individualised care (Hunter & Cox, 2016). This rapid review synthesises evidence on how can big donors work best with SMCs in the UK to build their capacity to achieve development outcomes. The first section summarises trends emerging in the literatures and the second section focuses on the trends influencing UK SMCs. In the third section, the author describes about SMCs as partners in development, followed by discussion on strategies to sustain the essence of SMCs.