The mode of giving: Why small grants (like £10,000) matter

Rachel Jones is the interim Head of Smart Works Scotland, an organisation that empowers unemployed women into work.

“There are eight of us between Glasgow and Edinburgh and 135 volunteers,” Rachel explains. “It's the volunteers who deliver the service: coaching, confidence giving, and the dressing appointments that we give to clients so that they feel a million dollars when they're going off for an interview.”

How do they find the women? Often through colleagues, like Carys Roberts, Outreach Lead for Glasgow and surrounding areas, working with Smart Works for just over two years. “I initially joined on a specific project basis – it was National Lottery funding that we used to reach more ethnic minority women.”

Rachel highlights their success with a telling stat, “46% of the women we see are from an ethnic minority.”

Carys continues, “I’m now the general outreach lead for Glasgow, ensuring our service reaches many women, both in person in Glasgow and with our virtual service.”

For instance, Carys has links with over 20 local job centres. Rachel confirms “there’s over 200 referral partners.” And demand has grown. “In the last year there's been an increase of 50% in the numbers of women who have accessed our services,” says Rachel. “It’s because of the work which Lizzie (Edinburgh Lead) and Carys (Glasgow) do.”

The team is super active: they run coffee and connect events for people to come and mingle and understand more. Carys also attends events run by multiple partner and referral organisations, meeting women face-to-face, local to where they are at. Also, they recently ran their first jobs fair with over 300 women attending.

Impressive work, so how do they sum up their impact?  “Well, I talk about the fact that we put the spring back in people's step,” says Rachel. “97% of people who come to see us say they feel more confident after their session and nearly 70% have a job within a month. I think those are statistics of which we should feel justly proud.”

Carys sums it up like this: “We often speak about the magic mirror moment at appointments, stepping back to that confidence for whatever reason they've lost.”

A standout moment? Rachel reflects, “The best ones are the people who aren't sure, but who leave us bursting with pride and optimism. A young lady recently said she felt ‘unstoppable’. She went off, she got the job. Unforgettable.”

Some women being supported by this service have come a long way, long before Smart Works. “Women have demonstrated extraordinary resilience,” Rachel explains. “Some come through horrific circumstances. Then for two hours, they're the focus of our attention. That's a lovely thing. They give you a hug at the end and say, ‘this has changed my life’.”

That’s already worthwhile yet the Smart Works magic continues. “They come back to us when they have an interview,” Rachel explains. “We coach on specific questions, general questions around the STAR technique. They’ll have an appointment with our fabulous team of wardrobe dressers to find an outfit, to feel a million dollars going into the interview. Later they come back, and we help them with a capsule wardrobe until their first pay cheque.”

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Like Smart Works Scotland, Elder Tree Befriending in Plymouth is another charity that has maximised impacts from small amounts of National Lottery grant funding. They help people who are at later stages of life, including people aged over 50 with disabilities or health conditions.

Elliott Malone is Operations Manager at Elder Tree, overseeing the day-to-day running, risk assessment, safeguarding policies, data and more. He’s been in the role three years and was a Trustee for the charity for five years prior to that.

“Everything Elder Tree does is to alleviate social isolation and loneliness in the over-50s in the city. We provide support and companionship.”

Elder Tree is incredibly active, serving lots of local need. They are well linked with local authorities and health services. “We have approximately 90 groups in 50 different locations meeting every week,” explains Elliott.

“We help with shopping and prescription runs, with falls prevention. We run exercise groups like seated and standing Tai Chi, Pilates, Chair Yoga. Groups designed for older men, “old boys clubs,” Elliott jokes. “Walking groups, social inclusion, knit-and-natter, we've got three lunch clubs, and an older man's dinner club every week.”

And more complex issues? “We've got a specific programme designed for people living with dementia and their carers. We take the person living with dementia for a couple of hours and do activities with them. Their family go into another room and have peer support, tea and cake for two hours. A mini respite.”

Elder Tree seems the definition of making a little go a long way. But it’s just one half of the charity as Elliott explains: “The other half is for people who are totally socially isolated. They can't get out of their home. No one comes in to see them. We've got a raft of amazing volunteers who go and sit with them for an hour a week.”

How many people? “We've got 108 people who are receiving a one-to-one volunteer.” And overall? “About 1600 people attend our groups every week. We're a referred-into service: self-referral, friends, family, or organisations. On average, since September (2024), it’s been 95 referrals a month. Just over half of referrals are organisational – GPs and elsewhere.”

Like Smart Works Scotland, outreach is crucial for Elder Tree: “One of the things that we really pride ourselves on is every referral gets a home visit. We’ll see a person and their needs.” Elliot highlights household help, like repairing a staircase handrail to prevent falls, or completing a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) application for the first time. It’s an all-encompassing service as Elliott sums up, “holistic”.

Likewise Elder Tree itself takes an all-round, hands-on approach: “There's 27 members of staff. We all run a group or have a one-to-one befriend.”

The impacts are worth it, and Elliott explains how these mount up during a typical journey for local people with Elder Tree. Elliott recalls one lady who began as a beneficiary and started volunteering before bringing in her husband, diagnosed with dementia: “She said, ‘Before Elder Tree, I was existing. Now I'm living.”

That lady, and many more like her all over the UK, exemplify the life-changing impacts achieved by local groups like Elder Tree, and Smart Works. Like them, tens of thousands more have been funded by The National Lottery – often making smaller amounts (like £10,000) go a long way with huge impacts.