Most of us in the charity world are dreading the anticipated, forthcoming and seemingly inevitable, financial cutbacks in public expenditure.

A neighbour of mine, with a special needs child, is saying that she is rushing through requests for essential lifting equipment in her home before these facilities become unavailable. I have heard that my Social Services authority has been asked to make savings running into tens of millions of pounds.

And the evidence from applications we are receiving for help where any local authority is involved is that it is taking longer to get on the waiting list for help, the waiting time is longer and the amount of support you can expect to receive, for people with mobility difficulties in their own home, often leaves a funding gap between the amount granted and the cost of these essential works.

The impact on most charities during these difficult times is more applications for help requesting larger sized grants at a time when our income streams are under stress. EEIBA’s Council (governing body), mostly comprises people who are working in the electrical industries and their collective view is that the industries we serve are unlikely to see improving economic conditions until 2012.

The dilemma we face in the charity world is how to do more with less. In more than thirty years in the third sector, I cannot recall such difficult times. A fact borne out by so many of our established partners in other charities facing exactly the same sort of pressures, which means that their support is becoming restricted. The impact on our welfare grants budget can be imagined.

The situation is not all gloom and doom however. Rather like the national picture, much of our time is sent talking and debating about how best to achieve efficiencies and financial cutbacks. I don’t hear much about those measures we could and should take to grow the country’s business activities which, if this happens, would mitigate some of the anticipated financial cutbacks.

The same could be said for EEIBA in that reaching out with our awareness and understanding activities should not only ensure people in need know where to turn to but also give many who don’t know about EEIBA and what we do, an opportunity to help, however modestly.

Low value donations from a large number of people really can make a huge difference, which is why we are doing so much more this year to think about and develop our marketing activities, so as to position EEIBA in the hearts and minds of the vast majority of people connected with the electrical and electronics industries who do not at this time know about us or help us. Also, for many, this is the very time when they need their benevolent fund the most.

I am also encouraged by two recent conversations. The first was with someone connected to one of our Branches who was enthused by taking on board some of our fairly simple and basic steps, along an existing model which worked so well in the Midlands, which can strengthen fundraising activity in his part of the UK. The second is that the managing director of a company is encouraging his staff to do more for EEIBA for truly altruistic reasons, in helping the charity, but also because it makes economic sense for him and his business as this support will ensure his firm’s name is also more widely seen and known.

Daniel Finkelstein in a Times article (19 May) said: “Britain is, thankfully, an increasingly tolerant and socially liberal country. And people want the old, the sick and the vulnerable to be cared for. They don’t regard public spending cuts as a liberation, they are nervous of them and support public services.” He goes on to say: “This is a Britain – moderate, socially liberal, economically liberal, tough minded – to which this new coalition speaks...” in talking about the new government.

I think he has a point. I believe EEIBA, and the people connected with EEIBA, in the circle which comprises of those on the governing body, staff, volunteers and supporters are moderate, socially and economically liberal but also tough minded.

With the times ahead, I’m convinced these tenets represent the correct approach to the next year or so.