Charity sector support organisation the Directory of Social Change (DSC) has announced sudden plans to close.
Leaders of the organisation, which has operated for more than 50 years and is also a registered charity, said that it has appointed an insolvency practitioner to manage its closure.
DSC’s chief executive of 25 years, Debra Allcock Tyler, and chair, William Butler, said: “Our income-generating model enabled us to survive through five decades of charity infrastructure turmoil, and meant we could cross-subsidise our crucial policy and campaigning work with our own independent resources.
“But like so many of the charities we serve, we have been squeezed by the huge financial pressures facing the sector.
“Tighter budgets for our beneficiaries, rising supplier and NI costs, increased competition, changes in how people buy and learn, the growth of AI, and a funding landscape that does not favour causes as unexciting and never-ending as infrastructure have all contributed to an increasingly difficult situation that has eaten away at our viability.
“Despite the very best efforts of our staff and trustees, and appeals to key funders, we have been unable to find a way to continue.”
25 jobs lost
Allcock Tyler and Butler confirmed in the statement that 25 members of staff would lose their jobs as a result of the closure, but that DSC would be “doing all we can to support them”, adding that they were “completely devastated that our work has come to such a sudden end”.
They said DSC will be working with the insolvency practitioner in the coming days and weeks to facilitate its “full closure”, during which time its Funds Online service will remain open for existing subscribers, as will the purchasing of books and digital downloads through the organisation’s website.
The pair thanked all those who had been a part of DSC over the past 50 years.
“The excellence and empathy of every staff member, author, trainer, partner, supplier, funder, volunteer and trustee helped us to punch far above our weight and achieve more than we had any right to expect from such a small group of people,” they said.
“Thank you for everything you did to help us reach and support our beneficiaries, making them stronger and able to have the biggest possible impact.
“Finally, thank you to all of our supporters, whether you have been with us from the beginning or are only now hearing about our work.”
In its latest accounts for the financial year ending 31 December 2024, DSC reported an annual income of £1.91m, most of which came from its publications, and an annual expenditure of £1.64m.
The charity held its final annual conference earlier its month.