Everyone is saying that charities are in a crisis, it seems, due to the long period of austerity and slow national recovery from recession since 2008. While some charities have seen their income fall substantially over the last two years, many more find that their income is stable or even rising. But what do charities and small voluntary groups feel will happen to them in the future? While the charity press is often somewhat doom-laden, respondents from a survey of over 1700 organisations in the North East and Cumbria seem to be rather more positive. Indeed a report recently published by Professors Tony Chapman and Fred Robinson suggests that many seem to be irrepressible optimists. The question is, are their expectations too high and if so, are they heading for a disappointment of their own making.

Read the report: http://www.nr-foundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/The-Crystal-Ball-Final.pdf