One in seven UK charities are struggling to survive, says a recent report released by the Charities Aid Foundation and the Association of Chief Executives for Voluntary Organisations.

Their survey of 572 charities showed that a third had dipped into their reserves to cover an income shortfall in the last year.

“Charities are resilient and do adapt to a changing world,” said John Low, Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation. “But it is very worrying if a significant proportion of charities, especially smaller organisations, feel they are reaching breaking point.”

Charity chief executives cite their most pressing issues as generating income and achieving financial sustainability. One of the ways in which charities are tackling this is to team up with other voluntary groups or private companies, in order to cut costs and work more effectively, with 55% collaborating with other charities in the last year.

One source of collaboration comes from the student community. Carly Benton, Assistant Student Activities Manager at Hertfordshire Students’ Union, said that student volunteering and fundraising gets “bigger and better” at Herts each year. This includes student led projects and the student fundraising team, Raise and Give (RAG).

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Article for Trident Media, also featured by Hertfordshire Mercury.