Charity in a Box

Prepared for Suffolk Community Foundation by Adrian Taylor, 2026-10-05. If you work there and would rather this page came down, say so and it comes down.

Suffolk Community Foundation: what the records show, and what we could do together

Adrian Taylor

Adrian Taylor runs Charity in a Box, after twenty years working in charities and public services. About Adrian.

1. What you say, and where we read it

We read your website (Home - Suffolk Community Foundation) and your public channels.

  • “We work closely with key stakeholders to increase understanding of need and raise essential funds to support local charities and community groups.” (suffolkcf.org.uk)
  • “We do this by working with individuals, families, businesses, professional advisors, and charitable trusts, helping them to fund local groups that are tackling the issues they care about most.” (suffolkcf.org.uk)
  • “Our impact last year We work with around 1,000 donors who range from individuals, companies and community groups to charitable trusts and the public sector.” (suffolkcf.org.uk)

Your channels: youtube (read); linkedin (closed to readers, not read); facebook (closed to readers, not read); instagram (closed to readers, not read).

2. Suffolk’s charities, from outside

Suffolk's charities at a glance. 1,000 charities are based here: 13.1 for every 10,000 residents. 16% show under three months' reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return. 21% of the area's charity income is held by its five largest charities. The records show no presence of the national network in Suffolk in 4 of 25 fields of charity work, and Suffolk is in the thinnest fifth of England's areas in 2 more.

1,000 charities are based in Suffolk, 13.1 for every 10,000 residents, where 19% of residents are on low incomes. 16% show under three months’ reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return; 12% take half or more of their income from government. The five largest hold 21% of the area’s charity income.

The 25 fields, against England

For each field of charity work we have mapped, where Suffolk stands among England’s 152 areas for the presence of the national network per person in need. Gold bars are the fields where no presence is recorded here (4 of 25) and those in the thinnest fifth of areas (2).

Dyslexia: 0 per 10,000 Dyslexia: pupils with a specific learning difficulty as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 104 of England's 152 areasLearning disability: 0 per 10,000 Learning disability: people on GP learning disability registers as a share of residents here, against 3.9 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 43 of England's 151 areasYoung people with SEND: 0 per 10,000 Young people with SEND: young people aged 16 to 25 with EHC plans as a share of residents here, against 12.9 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 41 of England's 151 areasYouth centres: 0 per 10,000 Youth centres: young people aged 8 to 18 as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 134 of England's 152 areasHospice care: 0.4 per 10,000 Hospice care: residents aged 75 and over (Census 2021 TS007) as a share of residents here, against 1.0 in England's median area; higher than 4% of England's areas; in the thinnest fifthLocal infrastructure: 10.0 per 10,000 Local infrastructure: local charities as a share of residents here, against 31.8 in England's median area; higher than 9% of England's areas; in the thinnest fifthRural communities: 0.1 per 10,000 Rural communities: people in rural neighbourhoods as a share of residents here, against 0.1 in England's median area; higher than 27% of England's areasMental health: 1.2 per 10,000 Mental health: people on GP mental health registers as a share of residents here, against 2.7 in England's median area; higher than 36% of England's areasUnpaid carers: 0.5 per 10,000 Unpaid carers: unpaid carers (Census 2021) as a share of residents here, against 0.6 in England's median area; higher than 40% of England's areasDrug and alcohol services: 3.6 per 10,000 Drug and alcohol services: people estimated to use opiates and/or crack cocaine as a share of residents here, against 4.3 in England's median area; higher than 43% of England's areasFamilies with young children: 0.5 per 10,000 Families with young children: children under five as a share of residents here, against 0.6 in England's median area; higher than 49% of England's areasYoung people: 0.4 per 10,000 Young people: young people (Census 2021) as a share of residents here, against 0.4 in England's median area; higher than 49% of England's areasFood aid: 1.1 per 10,000 Food aid: people on Universal Credit as a share of residents here, against 1.1 in England's median area; higher than 50% of England's areasCommunity foundations: 10.0 per 10,000 Community foundations: local charities as a share of residents here, against 9.4 in England's median area; higher than 52% of England's areasVeterans: 1.9 per 10,000 Veterans: veterans (Census 2021 TS071) as a share of residents here, against 1.8 in England's median area; higher than 54% of England's areasOlder people living alone: 0.2 per 10,000 Older people living alone: people aged 66 and over living alone as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 57% of England's areasBefriending: 0.1 per 10,000 Befriending: people living alone as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 59% of England's areasLegal help: 0.1 per 10,000 Legal help: people on low incomes as a share of residents here, against 0.1 in England's median area; higher than 64% of England's areasDisability services: 0.8 per 10,000 Disability services: disabled people as a share of residents here, against 0.5 in England's median area; higher than 68% of England's areasKidney patients: 0.7 per 10,000 Kidney patients: adults with chronic kidney disease as a share of residents here, against 0.2 in England's median area; higher than 71% of England's areasCadets: 1.6 per 10,000 Cadets: young people aged 10 to 18 as a share of residents here, against 1.0 in England's median area; higher than 74% of England's areasRiding for the disabled: 1.2 per 10,000 Riding for the disabled: disabled people as a share of residents here, against 0.3 in England's median area; higher than 85% of England's areasCommunity transport: 3.4 per 10,000 Community transport: households with no car or van as a share of residents here, against 0.7 in England's median area; higher than 86% of England's areasAlmshouses: 27.3 per 10,000 Almshouses: people aged 60 and over in income deprivation as a share of residents here, against 5.4 in England's median area; higher than 87% of England's areasHomelessness: 16.3 per 10,000 Homelessness: households found homeless as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 90% of England's areas
Dyslexia
Learning disability
Young people with SEND
Youth centres
Hospice care
Local infrastructure
Rural communities
Mental health
Unpaid carers
Drug and alcohol services
Families with young children
Young people
Food aid
Community foundations
Veterans
Older people living alone
Befriending
Legal help
Disability services
Kidney patients
Cadets
Riding for the disabled
Community transport
Almshouses
Homelessness

Suffolk: the bar is where the area stands among England's 152 areasnone recorded here, or in the thinnest fifthEngland's median area

Point at a bar for its figures.

Who does the work here, by register purpose

Education/training: 484 charitiesGeneral charitable purposes: 262 charitiesReligious activities: 201 charitiesArts, culture, heritage, science: 187 charitiesAmateur sport: 154 charitiesHealth: 154 charitiesDisability: 144 charitiesPoverty relief: 139 charitiesEnvironment: 125 charitiesRecreation: 124 charitiesEconomic/community development, employment: 115 charitiesOther purposes: 75 charities
Suffolk1,000 charities
Education/training484
General charitable purposes262
Religious activities201
Arts, culture, heritage, sci…187
Amateur sport154
Health154
Disability144
Poverty relief139
Environment125
Recreation124
Economic/community developme…115
Other purposes75

A charity records up to three purposes, so the circles overlap. Point at one for its count.

Researchers who studied how charities support people with dementia across the United Kingdom concluded:

“National and local data sources could help charities and commissioners begin to identify inequalities of provision.”

Mayrhofer, Goodman, Lafortune, Smeeton, Littlechild, Shora and Bunn, Voluntary Sector Review, first published 2021. Read the paper.

This page is that view for Suffolk.

3. Sample campaign

Three posts in your voice from the figures above, each with its picture, ready to use. Every figure is from public information and no charity is named.

1,000 charities are based in Suffolk

Bluesky / X: 1,000 charities are based in Suffolk: 13.1 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/suffolk-community-foundation.html

LinkedIn: 1,000 charities are based in Suffolk: 13.1 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/suffolk-community-foundation.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

16% of Suffolk's charities are running thin

Bluesky / X: 16% of Suffolk's charities show under three months' reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return. Which fields, and who else is at work: https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/suffolk-community-foundation.html

LinkedIn: 16% of Suffolk's charities show under three months' reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return. Which fields, and who else is at work: https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/suffolk-community-foundation.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

Suffolk is thin in 6 of 25 fields

Bluesky / X: Across 25 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in Suffolk in 6 of them: dyslexia, learning disability, young people with send. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/suffolk-community-foundation.html

LinkedIn: Across 25 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in Suffolk in 6 of them: dyslexia, learning disability, young people with send. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/suffolk-community-foundation.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

4. What working together looks like

What you getWhat it costs
The area report for your countyWhere need is, where help is thin, who already does the work, what the money looks like, by field, for the places you fund. Refreshed each quarter.£600 once, or £1,200 a year with four refreshes
The funder's view for a programmeThe same for one programme's scope: which fields and places the programme would reach, and what is already there.£3,000 to £8,000 a programme
What your data and ours could showYour grants beside the field: where your money lands against where the thin places are. Your data stays with you; we work on totals.by agreement

The first month: a twenty-minute call, your page in full within a week, and the first campaign posts the week after. Prices are set by income band from the public register and are the same for everyone in the band.

5. How to say yes

Reply to the email with a day that suits, call or text Adrian on the number in the email (it is on the Contact page too), or write to adrian@charityinabox.uk.

What this can and cannot say. These are counts over groups of charities and places from their own returns and reports and from national statistics. They do not rank any charity, name any, or say why. A thin field is one where the known network is thin for the people counted here, not one where nobody is helped.

Built from public information: the Charity Commission for England and Wales register and the annual reports charities file with it (OGL v3.0); Census 2021 (ONS); the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); the Claimant Count (ONS). Privacy.