The National Council for Voluntary Organisation’s (NCVO) CEO, Kate Lee, has published a letter responding to the backlash about small charity support at the organisation.

The response has come the same day as an open letter from small charity leaders calling for more transparency from the umbrella body on the stewardship and accessibility of small charity resources.

In a LinkedIn post publishing the letter, Lee said: “The letter below has gone out today to reassure people that I am determined as ever to build a stronger civil society for all our members.”

The letter addressed some of the concerns from leaders on social media and beyond, including in a piece earlier this month by Charity Times.

It said that the organisation has not closed the Small Charities helpline, and instead the plan is to “evolve the service”, which will take time, but small charities can still contact the service, it added.

The letter also added that the small charities team has not been made redundant, as there was not a small charities team. “Supporting small charities is part of everyone’s role at NCVO,” it added.

Addressing the redundancies, and subsequent six associate director roles advertised at a salary of £85,000, the letter said:

“NCVO is also a charity, and we are not immune from the financial challenges facing charities…

“In order to deliver that, NCVO needs to build a new culture, underpinned by a dynamic, diverse team of highly-experienced staff. We will therefore have fewer staff but will invest where we don’t have the skills and knowledge.

“This is why we have made some redundancies aNd also advertised for six new associate directors…”

The letter concluded by stating “for some this feels radical – but we cannot meet the level of change needed without making brave decisions” before apologising for the way “some have perceive we have handled these changes” and asking the sector to stick by the organisation.

Open letter

Lee’s letter was published the same day as another by small charity leaders aimed at the NCVO trustees and executive team, cc’ing in UK minister for Civil Society, Stephanie Peackock.

The letter is seeking “urgent accountability and public clarification regarding NCVO’s stewardship of sector resources that were originally created to support small charities.”

It asks the organisation to respond to the concerns within the next three weeks.

The concerns raised in the open letter include stewardship of legacy assets from the Small Charities Coalition (SCC) and Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI), commercialisation and access, including transparency regarding the development of the small charity e-learning platform and the proposed small charities handbook, representation and practical support for small charities, precedent and decision making, in addition to concerns for payments relating to restructuring and the organisations use of non-disclosure agreements.

The letter calls for NCVO to:
1. Publish a full and transparent account of all assets inherited from SCC and FSI
2. Clarify how publicly and philanthropically funded resources are being used and accessed
3. Commit to ensuring that resources developed for small charities remain openly and equitably available
4. Set out a clear plan to restore and strengthen practical support for small charities

It also calls on funders to:
1. Review how their investments in small charity infrastructure are being stewarded
2. Ensure that future funding is contingent on demonstrable accessibility and equity
3. Support models that prioritise open access and shared sector benefit

NCVO has yet to respond to this specific letter.
To read Kate Lee’s letter in full, click here
To read the open letter, click here

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