Our vision

Vision

NCVO's vision is of a society in which people are inspired to make a positive difference to their communities.

Mission

A vibrant voluntary and community sector deserves a strong voice and the best support. NCVO aims to be that support and voice.

Values

Independence: NCVO values the independence of the voluntary and community sector and supports organisations to take their own decisions and actions. NCVO will be a strong and independent voice for the voluntary and community sector.
Innovation: NCVO believes that the voluntary and community sector is innovative in its approach to achieving its goals and we will strive to be creative and original in all our work.
Collaboration: NCVO believes the voluntary and community sector is strongest when it works together and that its future will be shaped through collaborative working and this will be the key to the way we work.
Inclusiveness: NCVO values the diversity of the voluntary and community sector, and of society, and strives to be inclusive in all aspects of its work.
Passion: NCVO believes voluntary action is built on the passion of individuals and communities to make a positive difference. NCVO will be passionate in its support of the voluntary and community sector.

Civil society: a framework for action. NCVO's vision

Our Civil Society: a framework for action document 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.

What is civil society?

Civil society is where people come together to make a positive difference to their lives and the lives of others - for mutual support, to pursue shared interests, to further a cause they care about or simply for fun and friendship. It is where me becomes we.

An active and vibrant civil society helps to build connections and generates trust and confidence within and between communities, as well as between individuals. It strengthens democracy by promoting participation, by holding government to account and by creating space for conversations about how the world is and how it could be.

The voluntary and community sector (VCS) is a vital and vibrant part of civil society.

A framework for the future

At the same time society is more diverse and more polarised in terms of wealth (and power) than it has been for many years.

These issues cannot be addressed in isolation.

Economic prosperity must go hand in hand with social justice and environmental security, if we are to build a fairer and more sustainable world.

We must rebuild our institutions and our communities from the bottom up if we are to achieve a stronger and more stable society. And we must engage people in debates about the future and enable them to make a positive difference to their lives and their communities.

Four key challenges

NCVO will work with others to develop a programme of work that will focus on the following four key challenges facing our society. These are:

Community cohesion
Individual and community wellbeing
Climate change and
Financial security.

Download Civil society: a framework for action (PDF, 236Kb)
Published: February 2009
PDF: 8 pages

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Read the complete text: Civil society: a framework for action

What is civil society?

Action within civil society is driven by people themselves, by their passions and enthusiasms, by their needs and by a concern for the needs of others. People come together as members of voluntary and community organisations, trade unions, co-operatives or faith communities, or simply as loose, informal associations, such as book clubs or baby sitting circles. These organisations and associations provide the glue that binds society together.

Civil society also provides a counterbalance to the power of the market and the power of the state. Effective, thriving communities depend on all three sectors. But in recent years there has been a much greater emphasis given to market solutions and to the role of government: we urgently need to rebalance this relationship, to ensure that civil society organisations can make a full and effective contribution to the lives of communities and individuals.

Voluntary and community organisations are at the heart of civil society

The voluntary and community sector (VCS) is a vital and vibrant part of civil society. Our organisations:

can be a catalyst for collective action, bringing people together to make a difference to their lives and the lives of others, generating solidarity;
give voice and support to a diversity of opinions and interests within civil society, giving voice to the voiceless and reaching parts that other sectors simply do not; and
are driven by people's concerns and enthusiasms - amd their desire to see a better society.

It is important that voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) can play the fullest possible part in civil society, not because of who we are, but because of the real difference we can make to individual lives, to creating cohesive communities and to building a fairer society.

NCVO's vision and mission is rooted in our understanding of the role of the VCS within civil society.

Our vision

NCVO's vision is of a society in which people are inspired to make a positive difference to their communities.

Our mission

A vibrant voluntary and community sector deserves a strong voice and the best support. NCVO aims to be that support and voice.

By putting the VCS at the heart of civil society, NCVO aims to:

Strengthen the voice of VCOs and give them the support they need to create a strong and vibrant civil society;
Ensure that civil society, and the organisations that are part of civil society, are able to flourish;
Emphasise the positive difference that VCOs can make to the lives of individuals and communities - and enable them to make that difference;
Work with other organisations and sectors to build a society that is stronger and more civil.

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A framework for the Future

Communities in the UK are facing a number of challenges: from the impact of globalisation, economic recession and climate change to concerns about street crime, anti-social behaviour and the threat of terrorism. At the same time society is more diverse and more polarised in terms of wealth (and power) than it has been for many years.

These issues cannot be addressed in isolation. Economic prosperity must go hand in hand with social justice and environmental security, if we are to build a fairer and more sustainable world. We must rebuild our institutions and our communities from the bottom up if we are to achieve a stronger and more stable society. And we must engage people in debates about the future and enable them to make a positive difference to their lives and their communities.

NCVO will work with others to develop a programme of work that will focus on the following four key challenges facing our society.

1. Community cohesion

An active and vibrant civil society helps to create stronger communities, a healthy democracy and contributes to community cohesion.

A healthy democracy requires strong representative institutions with the legitimacy to act in the public interest and a vibrant civil society that brings together different voices and interests. VCOs and other civil society organisations contribute to a healthy democracy by creating links between people and politics, engaging people in debates about social problems and solutions and enabling them to make their voices heard.

NCVO will ensure that this role - and its limitations - are understood, particularly at a local level where both representative and participatory democracy are needed to build strong local communities and to empower people more effectively, as individuals and as members of communities.

We will work to ensure that:

civil society is able to flourish;
public policy helps to create opportunities for people to engage with each other, as well as with government, and recognises the value of this;
the independence of VCOs and our right to self-determination is understood and respected;
the diversity of the sector is valued and supported; and
we lead debate on the value of voluntary action to enhancing social, economic and environmental well-being.

We will support organisations' right to campaign within the law and will ensure that the policy environment values and enables campaigning activities.

2. Individual and community well being

The future of welfare and how it contributes to individual and community well being is a key issue for our society. We need to determine how welfare is provided, and by whom; how to balance the needs and preferences of individuals with the wider benefit to society; and how to ensure that access to welfare services is easy and equitable.

Our sector can contribute to these debates and the provision of welfare by:

providing support and advocacy to individuals and communities;
campaigning for particular welfare services;
identifying welfare needs and designing solutions;
providing a range of welfare services.

We will take forward work to understand the respective role of the state, the market and civil society in the provision of welfare. We will work with our members to ensure that individuals and communities can have a greater say in the design, delivery and governance of the public services they want and need.

We will also work to ensure that equalities and human rights issues are better understood and addressed, within the VCS and beyond, as part of the debate about welfare and well being.

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3. Climate change

There is now consensus that climate change is one of the most serious challenges facing us, and that action needs to be taken urgently by all to address the problems it poses. In the past climate change has been viewed purely as an environmental issue: it is our responsibility to ensure that it is understood and treated as a mainstream issue.

Moving climate change to the mainstream will require cultural change. Civil society organisations play a crucial role. Organisations in our sector can:

campaign for change;
educate and inform;
mobilise individuals and communities to take action;
support and encourage individuals, communities and organisations to act responsibly;
develop innovative services and promote best practice; and
provide leadership through our own behaviour.

We will work with government and partners to ensure our sector takes a lead on climate change.

4. Financial security

The last few months have emphasised the importance of financial security and access to finance for individuals and also for civil society organisations.

It will become ever more important that VCOs are able to access a range of different sources of income, and do not become dependent on one type of funding. To that end, we will:

establish a Funding Commission to review existing and potential sources of income for our sector;
encourage a culture of giving, broadening the range and number of people who give;
explore opportunities for generating income, such as community ownership and / or management of public services and assets.

Civil society organisations can also provide new and alternative models of finance for individuals and communities. We will work with partners across civil society to promote financial security and widen access to financial services, for example by supporting the expansion of existing financial models, including co-operatives and credit unions.

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Taking this agenda forward

NCVO will continue to ensure that VCOs and other civil society organisations have the best possible working environment we need to further our objectives, for example by:

working to safeguard and strengthen the gains of the last decade, such as the Compact and charity, co-operative and credit union law reform;
responding to government policies that impact on the sector;
exploring new options to ensure that organisations can obtain a sustainable income; and
seeking continued investment in national, regional and local sector infrastructure to enable a diversity of organisations and activities to thrive.

But we also want to ensure that VCOs and other civil society organisations can help to set the public policy agenda. Our organisations, working with our users and members, our workforce and volunteers can make a real contribution to the complex challenges we have outlined. We will therefore:

make effective use of NCVO's new Members' Assembly to engage VCOs in public policy debates;
create new opportunities for partners across civil society to come together and debate key social issues;
bring organisations together to develop co-operative solutions to common problems;
continue to support and promote better partnership working between our sector and government, in particular through effective implementation of the Compact.

NCVO cannot achieve these aims on our own. We will need to build new alliances and sustain and deepen existing ones to achieve the change we want to see. For example, working with:

umbrella bodies representing organisations beyond the VCS, such as Co-operatives UK, Universities UK and the Trade Union Congress, to enable us to build alliances across civil society;
international umbrella bodies for civil society organisations, including Civicus World Assembly and creating a new European civil society network;
specialist infrastructure bodies within the VCS, to enable us to build alliances with specific interests;
academics and other research bodies (for example, the Third Sector Research Centre and the ESRC) so that civil society is integrated into their strategies and work plans;
government and other public bodies, both nationally and locally; and
the private sector.

Conclusion

This is an ambitious agenda, but one that will enable us to strengthen the voice of our sector; highlight the positive difference that we make to society, as well as to our beneficiaries; and ensure that our contribution to addressing social needs and challenges is recognised and valued. In the coming months, in discussion with other civil society organisations, we will develop in more detail our plans to find new solutions to the challenges we face.

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Third Sector Network: Statement of Principles and Values

As representatives of voluntary and community organisations, trade unions, housing associations, social enterprise, co-operatives and mutuals, we recognise the value of a distinct and diverse third sector.

Whilst we represent a wide range of organisations, undertaking different types of activity, we share a desire to make a positive difference to society and a commitment to the following principles and values:

Independence: embodying people's right to associate and organise to help themselves and others, independently of the state.

Social justice: making a difference and promoting lasting social, environmental and economic change, for example through: different ways of doing business; campaigning; giving people a voice in the community and in the workplace.

Valuing people: valuing volunteers and the paid workforce by striving towards best practice terms and conditions, good HR and training and development.

Diversity, dignity and respect: recognising and celebrating diversity and viewing this as a strength, both in relation to society and to the sector; promoting social inclusion and equality of opportunity by reaching out to and engaging with the most disadvantaged and excluded communities.

Participation and empowerment: enabling people to participate in their community and places of work; give their time and money to causes they care about; have a greater say in the decisions that affect their lives, collectively and individually; and greater control over their local economy.

Collective wealth creation and social entrepreneurship: using surpluses to further social objectives; investing in human and social capital.

Responsiveness: providing quality goods and services (including support and advocacy) in response to peoples needs.

Accountability: achieving our mission; being transparent and accountable to our users, members and/or beneficiaries.

Sustainability: working towards sustainable economic, environmental and community development, for example through economic regeneration; developing people's skills and capacities; and building social capital within and between communities.