Understanding Your Industry: Not-For-Profit

In our series of ‘Understanding Your industry’ blogs, we explore the global and national trends and events that have impacted the UK Not-For-Profit industry, and the people who work within it, over the last month.

The impact of Brexit on volunteers, positive steps in the disability pay gap and the need to protect charities from cyber-attacks are some of the main focuses for the industry right now.

Read on for the latest updates…

• What a no deal Brexit means for EU citizens volunteering in the UK
  With a no-deal Brexit scenario still a real possibility, a large amount of uncertainty remains for EU citizens volunteering in the UK. The automatic right of EEA citizens to live and volunteer in the United Kingdom will no longer exist. Unless there is a change to the visa program, the process that non-EEA citizens go through to get visas will apply to all non-British citizens looking to enter and volunteer here. This includes registering for a Tier 5 (charity) visa, signing up to a registered volunteering organisation and facing limitations on the number of hours they can volunteer. The rights of EU citizens who currently volunteer in the UK but are not in paid work is still to be addressed in a no-deal scenario.
• Durham County Council Bridge the Disability Pay Gap
  On 4th November Durham County Council became the first ever employer to sign up to a ‘life-changing’ reasonable adjustments disability passport. The deal was approved at a council meeting, marking the first disability pay gap day. The disability pay gap is £3,000 a year – disabled workers are paid this much less compared to their non-disabled peers.
  Over 16,000 Durham Council staff are now covered by the policy, with 400 now benefiting from access to the passports – which confirms the changes that staff with disabilities need, in order to stay in work. Almost 1 million disabled people fall out of work or switch employers every year due to a lack of support from their employer.
  Nell Andrew, GMB National Equality and Inclusion Officer, explained: “GMB commends Durham County Council for making this potentially life changing commitment their disabled staff. We believe the passport will promote dignity and highlights the value of disabled workers work. As disabled workers, we want the opportunity to thrive in the workplace – not just survive.”
• Report reveals online abuse of female charity leaders
  Female charity bosses have revealed the impact of online abuse they have received from trolls. The report details how they have experienced, personal, targeted abuse, which had forced them to limit what they say and do online. Charity Digital Chief Executive Jonathan Chevallier said: “I was really shocked when I saw the survey results. Trolling isn’t just a terrible thing to do to another human being it also damages the important causes those charity leaders are supporting. “As a sector we need to respond to this issue vigorously and that’s why we’re running a round table to discuss them further.”
  One CEO described how trolling had left her feeling suicidal. Social CEOs and ACEVO carried out the research after conversations with charity bosses about trolling they had experienced. Many times, they have been targeted because of the causes of the charity they lead, the survey found. Charity bosses want to see better support from social media platforms to tackle the issues; with legal advice, support from the police and the wider media being called for.
• Charity leaders need to take cyber security more seriously
  Reports have shown that charities do not feel they are at risk from cyber attacks – and so are failing to protect themselves, despite in 2019, the average cost of a cyber breach to a charity beng a costly £10,000, yet. Due to charities failing to acknowledge the risk, they are making themselves even more vulnerable. With cyber fraud increasing at an alarming rate, it is vital for charities – both large and small – to protect themselves and make sure they look out for the danger signs.