A youth centre which David Cameron described as "extraordinary" and hailed as one of his favourite examples of the "big society" is on the verge of closure following a sharp drop in public donations.

Base 33, a charity in Cameron's Oxfordshire constituency of Witney, is facing imminent closure if it fails to find £7,500 to pay its rent, wages and electricity for the month ahead.

The centre deals with some of the most challenging youth cases in West Oxfordshire, and has been credited with a 20% drop in local anti-social behaviour.

In its last financial statement the charity posted a shortfall of £30,175. Managers have blamed the funding gap on a combination of local authority cuts and a significant drop in public giving, despite being in one of the country's wealthiest local authorities.

In a statement, the Conservative party said the centre was still an "inspiring example" of the big society at work and added that the party was getting involved to ensure its survival.

Staci Beevor, a Base 33 youth worker, said if the centre closed the impact on Witney would be huge.

"For a lot of young people, that's their home. That's where they get all their support and it's a safe place for them.

"In the past [Cameron] has always come in to say that he loves the work that we've done ... he nominated us for an award so he obviously values the work that we do." But she added: "Base 33 is supposed to be [an example of the big society], but unless they expect everyone to work for free it's never going to work is it?"

A Conservative-chaired parliamentary select committee this week criticised government inaction as youth services across the country were being "dismantled" due to local authority cuts.

On publication of the committee's report on Thursday, the Tory MP Graham Stuart said: "The government hasn't produced a youth strategy and, in the meantime, services like youth clubs are being slashed by local authorities in their bid to balance the books. The government, local authorities and service providers all need to understand and demonstrate the effectiveness of youth services – not stand by while they are dismantled."

In February, Oxfordshire county council drastically scaled back youth services. If Base 33 closes, Cameron's constituency will be left without any professional youth work provision.

The Prime Minister has a keen affiliation to the small faith-based charity. According to employees, he often comes goes in to hand out certificates for volunteering or to canvass for opinions amongst young people behind closed doors. During a keynote speech for the think tank Policy Exchange in 2007 Cameron described Base 33 as "an extraordinary project". He personally nominated it for the Kids Count Inspiration award, which the charity won last year.

This January when asked by the Guardian for local examples of the Big Society Cameron instantly picked Base 33 along with Citizens Advice Bureau and local environmental groups.

Centre manager Claire Dowan said: "David is one of our biggest supporters and when he's in Witney he uses our space ... he has an affinity to Base 33."

Dowan said she was unable to comment further about the situation but earlier in the week she told the Witney Gazette that people in Oxford had reined back on giving in the last year, sending the small charity's finances into disarray.

"Come the end of the financial year, if the people that are currently funding us are not in a position to fund us again, we are gone," she said.

"I believe this reflects the national picture in relation to the cutbacks and everyone being more money-conscious. People do not have the spare money to be able to donate to the charities in the same way as they have in the past," she said.

Mark Bennett, the senior youth worker at the centre, told the Guardian that he already worked for free and that although volunteers were essential, the centre needed professionals who could deal with sensitive and emergency situations.

"You need the professionals, fully trained youth workers who are there permanently to deal with situations that can arise, whether that be sexual abuse or overdose or bullying."

"This week I dealt with the overdose of a young female who was in contact with me immediately after she'd done it. If I hadn't have been there, what would have been the consequences? We do deal with the most challenging people in Witney. [If it closes] it will be devastating."He also criticised Cameron's policy of shifting social work from the state to the charity sector. "How do you make the big society develop when you cannot support the voluntary organisations that you are hoping are going to be the ones that will pick up the work?"

In a statement a spokesperson for the Conservative party said, "Base 33 is a superb facility that benefits a huge number of young people and is an inspiring example of the Big Society in action and both county and district councillors are working hard to secure its future."