No one knows how forthcoming cuts in public spending will affect voluntary and community organisations. No one knows how deep the cuts will be, or where they will fall.
Karl Wilding, head of research at NCVO, has posted an interesting and informed analysis. But he admits this is not an exact science, and his figures hypothetical.
We’ll only know the detail of what’s happening after it’s happened. In the past, that would have meant a long time after.
It could be different this time. Social media tools can be harnessed to get a live picture now of how the cuts are stacking up, as they happen. To work, that means as soon as organisations find they are to receive less money than they had been promised, they complete a simple form on the NCVO website. Savings on existing contracts, programmes cancelled and grants withdrawn can all be logged on the site.
Known in the social media world under the jargon “crowdsourcing”, this is a powerful tool for identifying what’s happening and responding to it. A major benefit is that all data is available to anyone all the time. It’s not just intelligence gathering by NCVO. See the spreadsheet as it grows, and identify how different sectors and regions are faring.
A good place to start is the description and links on David Kane’s blogpost.
