With the credit crunch affecting people from all walks of life right across the country, charity shops are reporting a marked and very noticeable increase in sales. The up side is that people may be buying from the charity shops however, there has also been an alarming fall in the number of people making charitable donations.



While sales may be notably increasing, many charities are having to make staff cutbacks and are being forced to reduce services in an attempt to keep afloat in the current economic downturn.

The government are stepping in with over £40m which is planned to help charities to assist people through the recession. The plans include giving grants to deprived areas, a volunteering scheme and money to encourage and assist non-profit organisations to merge.

Charitable organisations are also being encouraged to merge, share offices and form partnerships in order that the public are able to source help and advice in these difficult times.

Although charity groups have welcomed the government initiatives, they believe far greater amounts of money are going to be needed if they are to remain buoyant over the forthcoming year and beyond.

Most charities are well aware that in order to remain operating they cannot ignore the importance of having an effective public relations campaign. Competition between charities is visibly palpable on TV, with virtually every afternoon advertisement slot asking the public for monthly donations to help relieve poverty at home and abroad or help rescue plighted animals.

While these advertisements are an effective way to tug on people's heart strings and build the human relationships which charities depend upon, charities are realising that with effective, well devised charity PR and marketing strategies, which focus on both the global and local market via innovative IT campaigns is both an impressive and very cost effective method of offering the edge they need to expand public interest.

Leading public relations companies are able to offer 21st century marketing and public relations strategies to boost public interest and generate attention in positive and constructive ways.

Social enterprises are also being given government funding to help people beat the economic downturn. An expected £42m will be given to charities in order for them to help offer employment advice, mental health and family support services in the most deprived areas of the UK.

£10m of the fund will be allocated to help create over 40,000 people learn new skills which they will be able to use in the voluntary sector. Recent government TV advertising has included Sir Alan Sugar to encourage businesses to seek Modern Apprentices and to take advantage of the multitude of young people who are willing to train and learn skills in order to gain or remain employed.

PR advertisements such as these are being used to give hope and encouragement to the public at a time when more and more people are facing redundancies and unemployment.

Charities and social enterprises will need to ensure they have maximum charity PR exposure during these difficult times to broadcast their messages of support to the British public.