What are women’s organisations?

Voluntary and community organisations are sometimes referred to as charities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or community groups. All voluntary and community organisations are not-for-profit and exist to improve the lives of individuals and families and develop local communities. Some organisations work across the UK and also in other countries.

Women’s organisations are voluntary and community groups which are run by women, for women. Most people aren’t aware of what women’s organisations do or why they are needed. Yet without women’s organisations, like refuges, training and campaigning organisations, the world would be a much poorer place.

There are thousands of women’s organisations throughout the UK providing essential, high-quality services that are tailored to meet women’s needs. They provide services to hundreds of thousands of women every year - many of whom are the most forgotten and isolated women in our society and whose needs are often not met by government services or by other charities. Women’s organisations enable them to transform their lives.

Why support women's organisations?

Women’s organisations have traditionally always been under-valued and under-resourced. However, things are changing for the worse. We are seeing the closure of more and more women’s organisations, many with decades of experience. Why? Not because of the lack of need, but because of the lack of sustainable investment.

Women fought hard for many of the things we take for granted, like the right to vote, the right to equal pay and laws making violence against women a criminal offence. But there is still a long way to go – women earn 13% less than men doing the same job, thousands of women are discriminated against at work because they are women or are pregnant, two women are killed every week by a partner or ex-partner, one in four women will experience rape or sexual assault in her lifetime. Click here to see more statistics about women.

We are concerned that without strong women’s organisations, the many advances needed to ensure equality between women and men may not happen.

How many women’s organisations are there in the UK?

It is unknown how many women’s organisations exist throughout the UK although it is estimated to be around 30,000. A key word search of ‘women’ on the Guidestar website identified over 11,000 registered charities in England and Wales alone.

I work for a women’s organisation and would like help with fundraising. Where can I go for help?

Raising funds to maintain services and keep an organisation going is the one of the key issues facing women’s organisations. The pressure of constantly having to find money can become very stressful. Changes to voluntary and community sector funding have meant that many women’s organisations are finding it even harder to fit with funding criteria and many important women’s organisations have closed, despite the ongoing demand for their services.

WRC's Development & Sustainability Team provides training and one-to-one support on fundraising strategies, income generation and procurement amongst other things.