Two years since the UK went into its first national lockdown, Nottingham Trent University's final report of the ‘Respond, Recover, Reset’ Project reveals how the charity sector changed over the course of the pandemic.
Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as part of UKRI’s rapid response to Covid-19, the study began in June 2020, and ran until December 2021. Based on real-time research, the report draws on 14 waves of the survey, four waves of a panel survey, and over 300 in-depth interviews with those working in and with charities.
The final report highlights that adaptability, innovation, and collaboration in the face of crisis were central to the resilience of the UK’s charities and volunteers the sectors, despite unclear guidance and support. It also shows how across the period surveyed UK charities reported concern about their finances, saw rising demand for their services, navigated falls in income, staffing and volunteer numbers and adapted to a world moving online.
The report shows how organisations that were better connected, or could form alliances with others, were often better placed to respond to the crisis and emerging needs. Building open and trusting funding practices, re-focusing on equality and inclusion as well as focusing on digitalisation and staff wellbeing are some of the key themes explored in this report.
If you are interested in finding out more about this work, you can talk with the team at CPWOP@ntu.ac.ukor daniel.king@ntu.ac.ukin the first instance.
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