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Rethinking the Charity Landscape: A Path Towards Collaboration and Efficiency
The recent announcement of the closure of Jersey Recovery College due to financial difficulties serves as a stark reflection of the challenges faced by the local economy. The struggles of securing adequate funding, recruiting volunteers, and managing the rising cost of operations, including premises, are not just limited to businesses—they affect charitable organizations as well. With over 400 registered charities in Jersey, it’s clear that many of these organizations are facing similar obstacles.
These difficulties, although disheartening, have sparked essential conversations about the future of charitable work on the island. Are there too many charities? Could mergers, collaborations, or even acquisitions provide a solution? And what might that look like in practice?
The Creation of the Building Values Program
It was with these challenges in mind that I, along with the Association of Jersey Charities and the Insight Group, developed a program called *Building Values*. This initiative consists of 10 carefully designed modules aimed at providing charities with a focused, outcome-based “mini MBA” experience.
The Building Values program is not merely theoretical—it is practical and action-oriented. These modules were co-developed and co-delivered with the charity sector to ensure that they are directly relevant to the unique needs of these organizations. Our goal is to empower charities with the tools, templates, and training they need to improve their governance, operations, and funding strategies.
At the end of each module, participants should be able to implement something tangible and valuable for their charity. Whether it’s developing a strategy for fundraising, technology adoption, or philanthropy, the outcome-based approach ensures that participants can start and soon finish real, actionable projects. This is action learning at its core: bring your problems, and we’ll help you learn the theory, apply the practice, and equip you to solve them.
The Question of Charity Consolidation
One recurring piece of feedback I’ve received while working on the Building Values program is the suggestion that perhaps Jersey has too many charities. Some believe that a reduction in numbers, achieved through mergers and acquisitions, would lead to greater efficiency. This argument is certainly worth exploring, but it’s not as straightforward as it may seem.
In my own work as a volunteer for Jersey’s Cancer Strategy, I’ve seen firsthand the power of collaboration. The strategy is about working together—coordinating efforts to improve diagnosis, screening, and prevention. By collaborating, rather than competing for resources and media attention, we can maximize the impact of our efforts. I’ve observed this firsthand, even in my modest involvement with the leadership and deliverable teams.
However, suggesting that fewer charities would be better is akin to arguing that fewer businesses would be better. Jersey has a plethora of companies in the finance sector—banks, trust companies, fund providers—as well as numerous restaurants offering every conceivable type of cuisine. There is competition, yes, but each business also meets a unique need in the market.
Striking the Balance: Collaboration Without Homogenization
While there may be value in reducing duplication of effort and streamlining operations within the charity sector, it’s not as simple as suggesting that all charities should merge. For example, a pizza parlor and a curry house may both serve food, but that doesn’t mean they should merge into one entity. They serve different tastes, meet different needs, and contribute to the diversity of the food landscape. Similarly, charities often serve distinct and valuable niches within the community.
That said, there is a case for greater cooperation, coordination, and perhaps selective consolidation. By working together, charities could better utilize governance structures, reduce overheads, and enhance their effectiveness. Larger organizations, however, are not inherently easier to run. In fact, the complexity of managing larger entities often comes with its own set of challenges.
Statistics show that most of us work in organizations with fewer than 10 employees. Large organizations may offer some advantages, but they are not always the best fit for every context, especially in an economy like Jersey’s, where small startups and lean operations are increasingly common.
A Thematic Approach to Charity Work
Rather than focusing solely on reducing the number of charities, perhaps we should be exploring how we can serve the needs of the community more effectively. Whether it’s mental health, animal welfare, or cancer care, a thematic approach to delivering services could be more beneficial. This would involve grouping charities around common interests and ensuring better communication and collaboration within those groups.
Just as businesses in Jersey often consolidate around specific markets or customer segments, charities could benefit from a similar approach. Banks and trust companies may consolidate to provide a more focused and efficient service to their clients. Charities could do the same by focusing on common themes, services, or target groups, without losing their unique identities or purposes.
Moving Forward: A Collaborative Future for Charities
The Building Values program has already shown that when charities come together to learn, collaborate, and share insights, the potential for innovation and improvement is enormous. The collaborative environment we foster in the course allows charities to identify similarities and differences, learn from each other, and ultimately deliver more efficient and effective services.
Instead of merely asking how many charities should exist, we should be asking how we can encourage charities to work in ways that are less competitive and more cooperative. The challenge lies not in the sheer number of organizations but in how they operate. A collaborative, co-developed, and co-delivered approach could unlock new opportunities for the entire sector.
This is a conversation that is ripe for discussion, perhaps even at the level of the Jersey Policy Forum, where the focus could shift toward facilitating insights, discussions, and strategies for improving the way we work together. It’s an opportunity for us to explore new models of cooperation and ensure that our charities are not just surviving but thriving in their mission to serve the community.
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