The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has published a report on the rise of extremism and social division within the voluntary and charity sector.
The membership body held listening forums with representatives from 46 voluntary organisations in October 2025, in which participants described “rising levels of fear, intimidation and online hate”.
The December 2025 report found that those within the charity and voluntary sector, particularly those from minority backgrounds, were experiencing fear and high levels of anxiety, in addition to direct and targeted abuse.
The report identified four major themes of concern:
- A pervasive climate of fear – participants described a tangible sense of fear that affects the daily lives of staff and volunteers, particularly those from global majority backgrounds.
- Operational disruption and forced invisibility – organisations reported cancelling community events, reducing their online visibility and scaling back public activity because of direct threats or security concerns.
- Direct targeting and abuse many described receiving intimidating emails and other forms of harassment, while charities have removed trustee names from their websites.
- Increasing internal tensions within organisations – many said they were grappling with conflicting views among staff, trustees and volunteers, as well as challenging interactions with service users.
This hostile environment is preventing organisations from “delivering their core missions safely”, the report found.
In the report, NCVO chief executive Kate Lee said: "Fear is widespread, affecting staff, boards, volunteers and the people and communities they support.”
The NCVO also expressed concerns over diversity, recognising a reluctance of those from minority communities to take public-facing roles.
The organisation said protecting staff and volunteers, in addition to protecting operations and missions, were among its top priorities.
The report called for solidarity within the sector and emphasised the need to address root causes in an attempt to tackle both short- and long-term issues. The NCVO also committed to mobilising collective action and identifying guidance to best support voluntary and charity organisation’s needs.
Lee said: “Using the findings from this report, we need to ensure the sector, and its partners and friends, come together to prevent this further affecting organisations that are simply trying to deliver their vital work.
“By supporting one another, and offering hope where others spread hate, we can protect the space civil society occupies and ensure charities can continue to strengthen.”
The Charity Commission has also released guidance on how charities can respond to the current hostile environment. The guidance aims to provide clarity, practical steps, and reassurance to help charities navigate difficult circumstances.
The commission said it “recognises that some charities are now operating in an environment where a section of the public is actively hostile to their work and in consequence are responding in some instances to unacceptable circumstances and risks”.
