Other policy and research projects

Welfare Reforms and what they mean for Voluntary Organisations

This discussion paper provides a brief overview of some of the planned welfare reforms and policy issues that they raise for the voluntary sector.

Download Welfare Reforms and what they mean for Voluntary Organisations (PDF 76 KB)

Give it Back George campaign

Our successful campaign to reverse the Chancellor’s decision to limit tax relief on charitable giving achieved further recognition in November when it won a prestigious public affairs award.

Give it Back George, NCVO and CAF’s joint campaign, was awarded voluntary sector campaign of the year by Public Affairs News Awards after receiving the backing and support of over 3,000 organisations and individuals.

View the story of the Give it Back George campaign as an infographic on the campaign website.

Perceptions and use of quality standards in voluntary organisations

Voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) are increasingly expected to demonstrate to funders and commissioners their approach to quality assurance. Quality standards are one way of doing this.

NCVO has launched a new report into the perceptions and use of quality standards in the voluntary and community sector (VCS). The research, commissioned by the BIG Lottery Fund, and carried out with OPM (Office for Public Management), investigated how voluntary organisations use standards such as PQASSO, Investors in People, ISO 9001 and specific standards for sub-sectors and areas of work (e.g. the Matrix Standard).

Key findings from the research include:

Over 130 quality standards are being used by the VCS covering a range of areas of organisational life and work specialisms.
Working to a quality standard can benefit organisations by putting them in a stronger position to respond to tenders and provide a tool for organisational improvement and reflection.
88% of respondents cited the resources (time and money) involved in working to quality standards as a drawback.

The report also includes recommendations on how to increase knowledge and understanding amongst commissioners and funders of the purpose, scope and difference between quality standards and how to support voluntary organisations to make informed choices about their approach to quality assurance.

The BIG Lottery Fund will use the research to inform their use of quality standards in assessing funding bids.

Published 2012.

The 2011 riots

Following the 2011 summer riots, NCVO convened a summit which brought together over 100 people from charities, community groups, young people’s services and government to explore the sector's role in responding to the disturbances.

This report brings together thoughts and examples from the summit as part of the sector‟s contribution to the post-riots debate, it explores some of the potential causes and provides examples of how voluntary organisations responded to the events. It also offers a number of recommendations to the sector, to government and to the media.

Published 2011.

International collaboration in the voluntary sector

What can UK organisations learn about collaboration from international NGOs?

In an era of globalisation, many of the biggest challenges facing the UK, such as poverty and climate change, are also global. In response,voluntary organisations in different parts of the world are increasingly working together, establishing formal transnational alliances or collaborating perhaps more informally through networks.

This report is a summary of the presentations and discussion at a seminar which took place in June 2008 at NCVO. It explores the implications of working collaboratively and engaging at local, national and global levels.

Published 2008.

Download Collaboration without borders (PDF, 483 KB)