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Fundraising Shortfalls Lead to Shakeups, Layoffs at UK Nonprofits

British Heart Foundation (BHF), which earlier this year reported it was expecting a 50-percent drop in income, and Help for Heroes, Downton, England, which anticipates a one-third revenue drop, are both reportedly laying off employees.

As part of its cost-cutting measures, London-based BHF is reducing the number of directorates from eight to six, with the fundraising and marketing functions being folded together, according to website UKFundraising. Director of Fundraising Amanda Bringans, Director of Marketing & Engagement, Carolan Davidge, and Director of Healthcare Innovation Jacob West will be leaving the organization.

Bringans has been with BHF since 2015, when she started as a fundraising director. She will remain with BHF through October, UK Fundraising reported

Davidge joined BHF in 2014. She will stay with BHF through March 2021, overseeing the merger of the fundraising and marketing directorates, according to UK Fundraising.

West has been with the organization since 2018. West’s leaving comes as the organization announced it would likely be cutting its budget for new research by roughly $64 million. Additional details about his current tenure were not available at deadline.

The organization previously announced it was eliminating 300 jobs, but anticipated that up to half of those could be met by not filling current vacancies

“The steps we’re taking will go some way to safeguard the BHF’s life-saving work, but the cliff-edge fall in our research funding will have devastating consequences that ultimately mean patients suffer,” Dr. Charmaine Griffiths, BHF’s chief executive, had said in a July blog post.

“The stakes are far higher than the future of any individual charity,” she continued. “We’d urge the Prime Minister and Government to recognize that an investment in maintaining current levels of charity-funded research is an investment in UK science, the careers of thousands of talented researchers, and the future treatment of people with heart and circulatory diseases. Failing to make this investment could be hugely damaging to the future health of the nation.”

British Heart Foundation had closed 750 of its thrift shops for four months, and canceled many of its fundraising events, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Separately, the Daily Mail reported Help for Heroes, which provides healthcare for British servicemen and women who have been wounded in the line of duty, will be eliminating 142 positions, including 90 that are currently staffed.

The move comes after a one-third decline in income during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Daily Mail, which added that the charity relies on public donations for 97 percent of its revenue.

Help for Heroes had previously furloughed almost 40 percent of its staff starting in March, the Daily Mail reported.

Final determinations regarding which staff positions were going to be eliminated have not yet been made, the Daily Mail added.