Charities are in trouble. Millions have been wiped off reserves, income looks shaky, staff are having to be laid off, and more and more people are asking for our services. But why should we care?

The answer is that our society is dependent on the charity sector far more than we realise. So much of what charities do is under the radar. How many people would be aware of how reliant our public services are on the charity sector — that when James Purnell, the Work and Pensions Secretary, talks about getting people off benefits, he is relying on the charity sector to deliver 40 per cent of his employment programmes? How many people would be aware that over the past decade the charity sector has roughly doubled in size as the Government increasingly realises our ability to deliver higher-quality public services?

Those are questions that we rarely confront ourselves with, but we should. Because what would happen if all the charity work that goes largely unnoticed — debt advice, support for the victims of domestic violence and the mentally ill, help getting people off drugs and alcohol — were to stop?

One thing is for sure: we would not get through the recession. In the months and years ahead we are going to need a resilient charity sector more than ever. We are in a better place than we were during the last recession. The sector has undergone a revolution in professionalism and, as a result, our beneficiaries get better-run services and our donors get better value for their money. We have always done good, now we do it well. But if Britain is going to get through this recession as we would like, charities are going to need to do even better, and we are going to need help.

We will need to think about how we can do more for less, by working in partnership or even by merging. We will need to continue to enhance professionalism, ensuring that we have the right skills to steer our organisations through tough economic times. We will need to continue improving our governance arrangements, so that our organisations are well directed and our donors and other stakeholders can see where their money is going.

But if charities are to help to get people through the recession, it is not just about us. It is not just about how we can run our organisations better. It is also about all the other people who believe in what we're doing, from the public to our partners in the private sector to the Government. For the public, if ever there were a time for those who can give, then it is now. In the private sector, profits may be down but corporate social responsibility does not disappear when the going gets tough. Companies might not be able to sign as many cheques, but they can help by sharing the use of their facilities or their expertise.

And if the Government is serious about helping people through the recession, it needs to help charities now. The Cabinet Office is drawing up an action plan of support for the sector, and an action plan it must be. We look forward to a serious, substantive support package.

The bottom line is that we should all care about what is happening to charities because they will be the front line in fighting the consequences of recession. If we all care, and we all act, we will all be the better for it.

- Stephen Bubb is chief executive of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations

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