The Charity Sector Is Struggling : Here's What We're Doing About It

Running a charity has never been simple. Right now, it’s becoming harder from every direction.

Costs are rising. Donations are under pressure. Grant applications are more competitive. Demand for support continues to grow. And the people responsible for keeping everything moving are often the same people handling fundraising, operations, safeguarding, staffing and service delivery.

That leaves very little time for marketing.

But marketing still matters. In fact, when income is under pressure, being visible, trusted and easy to support becomes even more important.

At Vault 5 Digital, we’re building the support we wished we’d had when running a charity ourselves: one specialist team, one monthly package and no need to coordinate multiple suppliers.

The pressure on charities is real

The NCVO’s Road Ahead 2025 report describes the current situation as a “big squeeze”.

Charities are dealing with:

• Higher wages, energy bills and operating costs
• Increased employer National Insurance contributions
• Fewer people donating
• Greater competition for grants
• Rising demand for support
• Reduced volunteer capacity
• Less time for long-term planning

NCVO estimates that the rise in employer National Insurance contributions represents an additional £1.4 billion financial strain across the charity sector.

At the same time, grant applications have reportedly increased by 30–50% for some funders. More organisations are competing for the same limited funding, while many charities are already using reserves to cover core costs.

This isn’t a marketing problem alone. It’s a structural challenge facing the whole sector.

But your digital presence can either make that pressure worse or help you respond to it.

A difficult-to-use website, an inactive Google Business Profile or an unclaimed Google Ad Grant can leave valuable opportunities unused. When every pound matters, that’s a problem worth fixing.

You need more than another supplier

Many small and mid-sized charities know they need better marketing. They need a modern website. They need better content. They need to appear in Google searches. They need more people to understand their work and take action.

The problem is usually capacity.

You might need:

• A web designer
• A developer
• A Google Ad Grant specialist
• A photographer
• A videographer
• Someone to manage your local listings
• Someone to explain what the numbers actually mean

That can quickly become expensive and difficult to manage.

You’re left chasing updates, approving separate invoices and repeating the same information to different suppliers. Or you try to handle everything internally, which means marketing gets pushed aside whenever something more urgent appears.

That’s why we built Vault 5 as an all-in-one marketing partner exclusively for charities.

We bring the essential services together under one team and one monthly package. You get commercial-grade creative and digital support without the cost of building a full in-house marketing department.

We help you make better use of what you already have

Your charity already has valuable assets:

• A clear mission
• Real stories of change
• People who care deeply about the work
• Supporters who want to help
• Services that make a difference

Our role is to make those assets easier to find, understand and act on.

We don’t start with complicated marketing language or a long list of fashionable tactics. We start with practical questions:

1. Can people understand what you do within a few seconds?
2. Can they find you when they search for help or support?
3. Is it easy to donate, volunteer, refer someone or get in touch?
4. Are you using the free tools available to your charity?
5. Do you have fresh, authentic content to share regularly?
6. Can you see what is working and what needs to change?

Then we handle the work.

We turn unused Google advertising into opportunity

Many charities don’t realise they may be eligible for the Google Ad Grant.

The programme provides up to $10,000 per month in Google advertising credit : approximately £90,000 per year : to eligible non-profit organisations.

That can help you reach people searching for:

• Support and advice
• Volunteering opportunities
• Fundraising events
• Community services
• Campaign information
• Ways to donate
• Specialist help in your area

But applying for the Grant is only the beginning. Campaigns need to be set up correctly, monitored regularly and kept compliant with Google’s requirements.

That’s where many charities struggle. The Grant exists, but nobody has the time to manage it properly.

We handle the process from eligibility and application through to campaign setup, monthly optimisation and clear reporting.

You’ll know:

• What your campaigns are promoting
• Who is finding your charity
• Which keywords are performing
• What actions people are taking
• Where we’re making improvements

No guesswork. No confusing reports. No leaving free advertising unused.

You can check your charity’s eligibility in around two minutes. We’ll review the information and provide a personalised response within one working day.

We build websites that support your goals

A website shouldn’t simply look professional. It should help people do something important.

That might be donating, making a referral, finding support, joining an event or signing up as a volunteer.

Our charity web design and maintenance service is built around those actions. We plan each page around what your visitors need, then create a clear path towards the next step.

We handle:

• Discovery and website strategy
• Design and content structure
• Accessibility and mobile performance
• Search engine foundations
• Donation and conversion paths
• Website security and updates
• Ongoing maintenance every month

A website that launches and then gets neglected will eventually become another problem for your team. Links break. Information becomes outdated. Security updates get missed. Visitors struggle to find what they need.

We don’t build your website and disappear.

We stay involved every month, handling updates, fixes and improvements so your website keeps working as your charity changes.

You can also request a free website audit. It takes around three minutes to complete, and you’ll receive a personalised report within three working days.

We create content that builds trust

People want to understand the difference your charity makes. They want to see real people, real work and real outcomes.

Stock images and vague statements rarely communicate that clearly.

Our in-house video production team helps charities create professional content without the cost and complexity of organising separate production companies.

We handle:

• Story discovery
• Pre-production planning
• Scheduling and logistics
• Filming
• Editing, sound and colour
• Subtitles and social media cut-downs
• Final delivery in the formats you need

We also provide professional photography for charities, including regular shoots that capture real moments as your work happens.

That gives you a reliable library of content for your website, fundraising campaigns, social media, newsletters and reports.

More importantly, it means your supporters see the people and purpose behind the organisation.

We make local support easier to find

For many charities, visibility is local.

Someone may search for a food bank, SEND support group, counselling service, family service or community organisation in their area. If your Google Business Profile is incomplete or out of date, they may never find you.

We manage the practical details that help your organisation appear accurately in local search:

• Opening hours and contact information
• Service descriptions
• Photos and updates
• Location details
• Reviews and responses
• Ongoing profile maintenance

It’s a small part of your digital presence, but it can make a direct difference to whether someone reaches your charity or gives up looking.

One team means less pressure on yours

We know that charities don’t need more work added to their list.

You don’t need another platform to learn, another supplier to manage or another report filled with numbers that don’t connect to your goals.

You need a team that takes responsibility.

Without specialist support	With Vault 5
Multiple suppliers and invoices	One team and one monthly package
Marketing handled when there’s spare time	Planned, consistent activity every month
Free advertising left unused	Google Ad Grant applied for and managed
Website updates delayed	Ongoing maintenance and improvements
Inconsistent photos and video	Professional content captured regularly
Confusing performance data	Clear reporting and practical next steps
Generic agency advice	Support from people who understand charities

Our approach is simple: we handle the work, explain what matters and show you what’s changing.

We’re charity people first

Vault 5 exists because we’ve experienced these pressures ourselves.

Josh, our Managing Director and co-founder, runs a registered UK charity supporting neurodiverse and disabled people. He understands what it means to work with a tight budget, report to trustees and still need marketing that delivers.

That experience shapes how we work.

We know your budget must be protected. We know your team is busy. We know your mission is more important than vanity metrics or unnecessary complexity.

Our aim is to give UK charities access to the quality of marketing larger organisations take for granted : without the agency overhead, the jargon or the sector-blind approach.

The sector is under pressure. You don’t have to manage everything alone.

The challenges facing charities won’t disappear quickly. Costs may continue to rise. Funding will remain competitive. Demand for support will continue to put pressure on teams.

But you can make your marketing more efficient, more consistent and more accountable.

You can use the resources available to you. You can improve the way people find and understand your work. You can give your team one reliable partner instead of several disconnected suppliers.

That’s what we’re doing about it.

Book a free strategy call with Vault 5 Digital. It’s a straightforward conversation about your charity, what’s currently holding you back and where we’d start. No obligation, no hard sell and no jargon.

Just practical support from a team that understands what’s at stake.