UK NFPs Concerned About Brexit

As many as nine out of 10 Not for Profit employees in the UK are concerned about the impact Brexit will have on their charities, according to a new survey.

The poll, carried out by recruitment firm the Right Ethos, found that nearly half of all respondents (46 per cent) said they were “extremely concerned” about the effect that Brexit would have on their organisation, with a further 41 per cent saying they were “concerned”.

Of those surveyed, just 10 per cent indicated they had voted “neither” or to “leave” the EU, with 92 per cent saying they would choose to remain if there was another referendum today.

A statement on the Right Ethos website, said the results showed that those within the sector have views that differ substantially from the wider public, who pushed towards leaving.

“This difference widens when we look at those at a level of Head of and above, where less than 1 per cent voted to leave,” it said.

“Interestingly when asked how they would vote today the vote to remain increases by 3 per cent both overall and when we look at the views of those at Head of and above.

“This may infer that the effects of Brexit, for instance, the fall in the value of the pound, are already being felt and have concerned those who voted ‘neither’ or that media coverage of the long-term effects of Brexit since the vote has swayed people’s opinions.”

One area of concern highlighted by respondents was the effect of Brexit on funding.

More than three-quarters of those asked said they agreed (37 per cent) or strongly agreed (42 per cent) that charity funding would be limited by the result of the referendum.

One respondent was quoted as saying: “Economic uncertainty always has a negative impact on donations and grants. Brexit has created huge economic uncertainty and I think we are going to see the impact of that.”

Other concerns focussed on policy gridlock, recruitment and employees, and charity aims and practices.

One respondent said: “It will change our entire mandate – promoting UK business around the world. We will lose the breadth of international business that is London and the UK’s strength, we will lose jobs, the economy will shrink and there will be less public or private sector funds available for community projects and social justice.”

The Right Ethos said the overwhelming opinion was that Brexit would have harmful implications for the sector.

“88 per cent of those in Head of and above roles were to some degree concerned by the result of the referendum and 95 per cent felt that Brexit would ultimately have some level of negative impact on their organisation,” it said.

“These results are unsurprising given the number of people who supported the ‘remain’ campaign.

“In conclusion whilst it is too early to gauge the true impact that Brexit will have on the charity sector, it is clear the referendum result is already having an influence.

“It is clear that there are a few charities that are seeing some positive outcomes of leaving the EU. However, there are significant concerns emerging regarding the day to day running of charities and said concerns have evidently led to organisations re-strategising and shifting focus.

“It is ominous and significant that such a large proportion of individuals, who are highly involved in the Not for Profit sector, felt that leaving would be a negative and this indicates the coming years will be challenging ones for the sector as a whole.”