Make better decisions with NCVO Foresight

Like a ship’s lookout, NCVO Foresight helps organisations navigate rough waters by giving an early warning of obstacles and opportunities ahead.

We provide information about key trends or forces (drivers) affecting the civil society sector, and support organisations to embed foresight into their regular planning work.

On these pages you can read more about what we do and how we do it and find out how to keep up to date with the latest trends intelligence for the civil society sector.

Keep up to date
Face the future with confidence - hire us for one-to-one help
Research, publications and guides
About our work

Keep up to date

Sign up to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter receive the get regular updates on your sector’s top trends - just tick the Leadership and Strategy box.

Follow us on Twitter

Join our growing number of Twitter followers for daily updates on Foresight’s work, plus interesting news, reports and projects we’d like to share with you. Follow us

Read our blogposts

Keep up to date with how the world is changing, and get insight into how to plan for the future with our regular blog posts.

Get in touch

Email Nick Wilson Young, Foresight Manager, or call 020 7520 2416.

3s4 website screenshot

Our website www.3s4.org.uk

Visit our website 3S4 for our latest insights into the external environment, what's changing, possible implications for your organisation and how you can make your organisation stronger.

Face the future with confidence - hire us for one-to-one help

As well as free information and analysis about trends at www.3s4.org.uk and in our publications, we can work with you directly to help prepare for your future.

We can coach your senior decision makers. A fast, efficient way to impart the skills and confidence they need to spot future threats and opportunities.
We can run tailored workshops for your board, managers, staff or users, to pool their insights about the trends affecting your organisation and get them thinking in a strategic way.
We can save you time and money by scanning your horizon for you: filtering out jargon and noise to spot understandable trends that you can act on.
We can pool your interests with similar organisations to study trends that will affect you all.
We offer a 20% discount for NCVO members.

"Learning about the world of tomorrow is vital for effective strategic decisions. NCVO Third Sector Foresight's expert, accessible work is invaluable in helping us do this." Sydney Thornbury, Executive Director, WebPlay

Joint Projects

Our work draws on NCVO’s huge experience of all parts of UK civil society and our acclaimed expertise in statistical and social research, political analysis, innovation, strategy, impact measurement and organisational design.

If you help other organisations, maybe as a funder, umbrella body or thought leader, talk to us about how we can help you with ideas, links and practical know-how gained through helping thousands of organisations.

Contact: Nick Wilson Young, Foresight Manager
020 7520 2416 , nick.wilsonyoung@ncvo-vol.org.uk

About our work

Responding to Social Change: Impact Report

In 2008 NCVO Foresight was appointed by Capacitybuilders to lead the National Support Service on Responding to Social Change with funding of £1.2 million over three years.

This summary report highlights the key outcomes, impact and learning from the Capacitybuilders-funded work, together with the Future of Membership project.

It draws on the findings of a formal evaluation conducted by Roehampton University in 2011 of the three national support services, a separate evaluation of the Future of Membership project, and feedback from our partners and beneficiaries gathered through ongoing assessment and case studies. Download the PDF

'To 2020 and Beyond'

In 2010 we hosted an event for our infrastructure partners to review the futures work we’ve done together, and gather new intelligence about what they see as being the most important drivers for the civil society sector in 2020.