Fundraising squeeze hits top charities
Some of Scotland’s biggest charities have lost half of their fundraising income since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
Lockdown, social distancing measures and tiered restrictions have led to a drop in donations and mass charity events being axed.
Charities are losing millions and vital services have been hit as they have tightened their belts.
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, which helps 250,000 people, is facing a drop of £6million for 2020.
It had fundraising income of £1million a month pre-Covid but that has declined by 50 per cent.
Earlier this month, the charity had to close 14 shops, which could mean a further loss of up to £80,000.
Lawrence Cowan, of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said: “Losing £500,000 a month is huge.
“Coupled with people who have lung and heart conditions and are vulnerable to Covid, our income is going to be half what it was. The demand for our services has more than doubled.
“We’ve in a fight for survival where every pound matters.”
MND Scotland, which helps people with motor neurone disease, has seen a £500,000 drop in income after fundraising events had to be scrapped because of the pandemic.
Iain McWhirter, of the charity, said: “Fundraising events can make up a third of our income and the longer these can’t take place, the worse we expect things to become.
“Last year, fundraising events raised more than half a million pounds for us, so it’s a big drop.
“At the start of this year we anticipated fundraising would drop by 50 per cent. It is down by a third.
“Missing out on that level of income has an effect on what we can do to support people with MND and the research we can fund.”
Poppyscotland, which supports military veterans, is anticipating a six-figure drop compared to 2019. Gordon Michie, of the charity, said: “The income we will have received will be down a good few hundred thousand. It’s a challenge.”
Macmillan Cancer Support says its UK income will be down by up to 50 per cent. The charity’s Gordon McLean said: “It has had an impact on the investment we can make into services.”