NCVO Research

NCVO Research supports voluntary and community organisations by developing a strong evidence base on voluntary sector issues.

Find out about the key areas we work in including short summaries of key findings, as well as details of all our publications and events . 

Keep up to date with events, publications and news - join the research team monthly email. 

What's new:

July 2009

Tick-tock, tick-tock. Time is running out!

The early bird discount for the NCVO/ VSSN Researching the Voluntary Sector Conference runs out on the 13 July.

Don’t miss out! The conference is taking place on the 7 and 8 September at Warwick University. 

Find out more and book your place

Blurring Boundaries  

In the UK and elsewhere, many civil society organisations are increasingly delivering public services traditionally undertaken by the state. The continuously shifting nature of the boundaries between the state and civil society suggests that the space available for civil society is changing.

This report is a summary of the presentations and discussion of the seminar that took place in January 2009. It explores sector boundaries and more specifically the boundaries between the governmental sector and civil society.

Key points

• Working across sector boundaries is a universal activity and a feature of the new flexibility of neoliberal institutions and policies.

• Some boundary crossers move back and forth from one sector to the other; others are simultaneously active in both sectors. In both cases the role of informal links is very important.
• More formal processes such as secondments, exchanges and immersions can also help challenge caricatured sector views.
• Boundary crossing is an opportunity for both government and the third sector in terms of learning and innovation, but there is also some evidence of cooption.
• There is a growing tendency towards an increased formalisation of agreements between governments and NGOs.
• These more formalised agreements generally appear to subordinate NGOs to government’s priorities, but they have also given NGOs opportunities to influence government policy and practice.
• Organisations are more likely to have influence if the agreements are relational or mutual.

Download the Blurring Boundaries report  (PDF 840KB)

Order your free copy of the report 

June 2009

Charity leaders have increased optimism regarding the economic climate – results from the latest Charity Forecast survey are now available.

This key report provides a snapshot of charity leaders' opinions of the sector. Produced quarterly, it enables the reader to see how confidence in the sector is changing over the year.

This edition revealed that a growing number of charity leaders believe economic conditions in the UK will improve over the next 12 months, with overall confidence levels up 28 percentage points compared to the previous quarter (January to March 2009).

Buy your copy now and find out more in depth about where charity leaders feel the sector is headed.

Find out more about the Charity Forecast Survey  

Order your copy of the charity forecast report (£50 or free for NCVO members)

The Future of Membership Project: opportunity to contribute

Call for membership organisations to take part in a series of focus groups in July as part of the Future of Membership project.

We are looking for membership organisations to take part in a series of focus groups in July as part of the research.  The sessions will take no longer than two hours and will take place at NCVO. (Reasonable travel costs will be reimbursed and refreshments will be provided; you will also receive a Third Sector Foresight publication as thanks for your time.) Please email Katherine Hudson 

Find out more about the Future of Membership Project 

April 2009

The fifth edition of the Charity Forecast survey is available

Find out more about the Charity Forecast Survey

Order your copy of the charity forecast report  (£100 or free for NCVO members)

March 2009

Changing Governance  

This report is a summary of the presentations and discussion of the seminar that took place on 9 October 2008. It explores how civil society organisations in the UK and other countries are experiencing changing governance structures, and explores some of the implications for policy and practice.

Download Changing Governance (PDF 524 KB)

Order your free copy 

February 2009

UK Civil Society Almanac 2009 

This essential publication provides all the statistics and facts about the UK voluntary sector and civil society.  

The findings show the importance of civil society and the voluntary and community sector to the UK. Civil society organisations employ over 1.35 million people with a total income of £116 billion and assets of £210 billion.

This publication will provide vital information on topics including:

• The voluntary sector population and distribution
• Income
• Expenditure
• Assets
• Workforce
• Civil society organisations including independent schools, universities, trade unions, and housing associations
• And much more!

Buy the Almanac 2009  (£125, £30 for NCVO members)

Find out more about the Almanac 

Contact us

Email the Research Team or if your question is in a specific area read about us to find the best person to help you.