Small Charity Week reflections: Breaking Point, one year on

Written by Amber Shotton, Fair Collective Non-Exec Director and freelance charity consultant.

What do we hear from small charity leaders a year on?

One year on from our Breaking Point report, small charity leaders told us that the pressures on leadership have not eased. If anything, many described feeling more stretched, exposed and uncertain. In our Small Charity Week webinar, leaders shared words such as challenging, scary, dangerous, nerve-racking and “too much” to describe how leadership feels right now. Polling reinforced this picture with half of respondents sharing their mental wellbeing had got worse over the past year, while only 17% reported an improvement.

The discussion showed that this is not simply about individual stress or resilience.

Leaders are carrying cumulative pressure created by funding uncertainty, complex grant processes, competition for scarce resources, governance gaps, compliance demands, leadership change and the emotional responsibility of keeping services going for communities. Several leaders described the tension between wanting to focus on their mission but having to use significant portions of their time working on policies, systems, HR, health and safety and governance.

These practical foundations matter, but they often require time, money and capacity that small organisations and their boards rarely have.

Board and governance support emerged as a significant theme. Leaders spoke about the realities of working with volunteer trustees who may be committed but do not always have the time, confidence or skills to carry the full weight of governance responsibilities. This can leave operational leaders absorbing legal, strategic and administrative work, adding further pressure to already demanding roles.

No surprises, but funding was another concern. Participants highlighted the need for longer-term, flexible funding that recognises the true costs of running small charities, including leadership time, infrastructure, collaboration and wellbeing. There was also concern that partnership working is often encouraged without enough resource to make it realistic, fair or sustainable.

What’s helping Small Charity Leaders?

Alongside these challenges, leaders also identified what helps. Peer connection, CEO networks, supportive boards, practical infrastructure and open conversations were all seen as important protective factors. Some organisations had introduced wellbeing support, flexible working, clearer boundaries or governance changes, but the discussion made clear that small changes by funders, boards and sector bodies could make a meaningful difference.

The message from the session was clear: small charity leaders are still operating at breaking point. Supporting their mental health and wellbeing means looking beyond individual coping strategies and addressing the systems, expectations and funding practices that shape their daily reality.

What’s happening in the sector?

We also shared early updates from the collaborative conversations taking place across the sector. Encouragingly, there are signs of more accessible support emerging for small charity leaders, including ACEVO’s reduced membership fees and planned small charity membership offer, AoC’s Chair in Need support returning through additional funding, and IVAR’s Leading in Uncertainty sessions, , which offer space for charity leaders to connect, reflect and navigate uncertainty together.

We also highlighted the National Lottery Community Fund’s Change Makers opportunity, which aims to support organisations working with community leaders who are making change in and for their communities. Its focus on wellbeing support is particularly welcome, recognising that leaders need the right conditions and resources to sustain their work over time.

We will be happy to share a more detailed summary of the session with sector members looking to apply.