About us
NCVO (The National Council for Voluntary Organisations) is a registered charity (number 225922), a company limited by guarantee, number 198344 England,which gives voice and support to civil society.
NCVO believes passionately in the voluntary and community sector. This is a sector with the power to transform the lives of people and communities for the better.
Our vision
Our Vision is of a society in which people are inspired to make a positive difference to their communities.
- NCVO's vision, mission and values
- NCVO's vision for the future: Civil Society: a framework for action We have published Civil Society: a framework for action. This sets out a clear vision for the central role that civil society will play, and working with our partners identifies the key issues which need to be at the heart of our work for the next 10 years.
Our mission
A vibrant voluntary and community sector deserves a strong voice and the best support. Our Mission is to be that support and voice.
Founded in 1919, we are the largest umbrella body for the voluntary and community sector in England with sister councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Our work
NCVO is a highly effective lobbying organisation and represents the views of its members, and the wider voluntary sector to government, the European Union and other bodies. We are also at the leading edge of research into, and analysis of, the voluntary sector. See our annual report .
We campaign on generic issues affecting the voluntary sector, such as the role of the voluntary organisations in public service delivery and the future of local government.
We have several specialist teams who provide information, advice and support to others working in or with the voluntary sector:
- NCVO publications include reports, toolkits, briefing papers and books.
- We run networking and training events.
- We manage and facilitate a wide range of forums and networks for staff and volunteers working in specific areas such as policy, planning, ICT, membership, publishing and public service delivery.
- We provide direct support to organisations through the NCVO Consultancy service.
- NCVO's helpdesk provides information and support for NCVO Members, as well as an order line for NCVO publications. Freephone: 0800 2 798 798 / Minicom: 0800 01 88 111. The helpdesk is open Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm.
Our Members
Bexley Snap, NCVO Member since 2003
NCVO has over 7,000 members. With over 280,000 staff and over 13 million volunteers working for our members, we represent and support almost half the voluntary sector workforce.
Our goal is to support members by creating an environment in which voluntary organisations can flourish and develop.
Join NCVO today!
Publications
Helping you in your Trustee's role or managing and developing people in voluntary and community organisations, our books cover subjects relevant to the charity and voluntary sector.
Use our topic list or the A to Z listing to choose from over 100 titles. You can order any NCVO publications and get 30% if you are a member.
Our history
NCVO Annual reports
- Impact Report 2009
- Annual Report 2008/2009 (PDF 41 pages)
- Annual Report 2007/2008
- Accounts 2007/2008 (PDF 356kb)
- Annual Report 2006/2007
- Annual Report 2005/2006
- Annual Report 2004/2005
- Annual Report 2003/2004
- Annual Report 2002/2003
Who's who at NCVO?
Stuart Etherington is the Chief Executive of NCVO.
Listening to your voice
NCVO is committed to providing high quality services. If you are unhappy about the services that we provide to you we want to hear about it, without your feedback we cannot improve. Complaints Procedure
Definition of a Voluntary organisation
An independent, self-governing body of people who have joined together voluntarily to take action for the benefit of the community. A voluntary organisation may employ paid staff or volunteers, but must be established otherwise than for financial gain.
