Welcome to the third edition of the London Plus Research Roundup – our quarterly digest of insights, resources, and opportunities to support evidence-informed practice across the sector.
This quarter, we highlight new research on the state of London’s voluntary sector infrastructure, charity governance, and organisational resilience. We also share data resources to support understanding of London’s communities and inequalities, alongside practical tools on cyber security, impact measurement, audience engagement, and digital skills. Finally, we signpost training and events to help organisations strengthen their practice.
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Submit your contribution hereJune 2026
Research and Insights
London Plus
This report is the first in a series of three, exploring the value of local voluntary sector infrastructure in London. In this report, we set out where the sector stands today – what Local Infrastructure Organisations are, the recognised difference they make, the challenges they face, the impact when their support is missing, and why strong local infrastructure is essential to London’s future.
ACEVO, the Association of Chairs, and nfpResearch
New research from ACEVO, the Association of Chairs and nfpResearch explores the behaviours, relationships and governance practices shaping charity boards across the UK.
Drawing on insights from CEOs, chairs and trustees (members of ACEVO or AoC), the research highlights that while most CEO–chair relationships are strong, this does not always translate into highly effective boards. Trust, open communication and constructive challenge are critical, but many organisations still face governance challenges, including unclear roles, difficult board behaviours, inconsistent appraisal processes and skills gaps.
The findings offer practical lessons on strengthening board effectiveness, improving leadership relationships and embedding better governance practices.
NCVO
Charities are increasingly operating in ‘Protection Mode’. Rising demand, financial pressures, misinformation, online hostility and rapid technological change are reshaping how organisations deliver their work.
This report explores how charities are adapting and the support needed to build resilience for the future.
Key findings:
- Protection Mode is an operational reality: Risk management, safeguarding, organisational resilience and crisis preparedness are becoming embedded into day-to-day operations.
- Visibility is a risk: Concerns around hostility, reputational challenge and staff safety are changing how organisations engage publicly.
- Leaders are navigating increasing ambiguity: Many leaders described fewer straightforward or risk-free decisions around public engagement, organisational values and organisational risk.
- The hidden operational cost is growing: Organisational capacity is increasingly being absorbed by resilience activity that is often ongoing, resource-intensive and difficult to fund.
- Resilience requires investment: As the operating environment continues to evolve, the ability of charities to deliver impact will increasingly depend not only on the strength of their missions, but on the resilience structures surrounding them.
Department for Culture, Media & Sport
The UK Data Spine is the first comprehensive register of the UK civil society sector, bringing together records from ten regulatory bodies into a single deduplicated dataset of over 770,000 organisations.
This report presents findings from the UK Third and Civil Society Sector Database (the ‘Data Spine’), a research infrastructure that brings together data from ten UK regulatory sources to provide a comprehensive picture of the civil society sector.
NPC
In this blog, NPC explores the term ‘systems change’ and what it really means, noting that “systems change is not something you either ‘get’ or ‘don’t get’. It is a way of looking at problems that encourages us to zoom out, notice patterns, and ask different questions about our role.
What matters more than agreeing on a perfect definition is being clear about which system you are talking about, why it matters, and what role your organisation is realistically trying to play within it.”
Data
Greater London Authority
The State of London report brings together over 100 datasets about life in the capital – covering its economy, environment, housing market, and social outcomes such as health and education, among many other topics.
Published annually by the GLA’s City Intelligence Unit, the report’s ten chapters provide an array of charts and data, organised around the outcomes the Mayor of London wants to achieve for the city. Together, these indicators provide a shared evidence base to inform discussion, scrutiny and decision-making about London’s future.
Datakind UK
The Community Lens tool allows you to plot your postcodes over the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), the official measure of deprivation in England. The IMD is comprised of seven distinct domains of deprivation: Income Deprivation; Employment Deprivation; Education, Skills and Training Deprivation; Health Deprivation and Disability; Crime; Barriers to Housing and Services; Living Environment Deprivation.
Resources
Charity Wise
Understanding your audience is paramount in today’s busy landscape. Enter ‘personas’ – a strategic tool that goes beyond demographics to delve into the motivations, behaviours, and preferences of your target audience.
Personas empower your charity to tailor products, services, and marketing strategies with precision. These fictional representations of your ideal audience provide a roadmap for meaningful engagement, ensuring your charity resonates with authenticity and relevance.
Third Sector
Not everyone is working for the greater good: cyber criminals are targeting charities. That’s why Third Sector, in partnership with the National Cyber Security Centre, has collated advice, insight and guidance to help you take simple steps to staying more secure, so you can better and more easily understand the risks and prepare appropriately.
NPC
This resource introduces five types of data that can help organisations measure, understand, and improve their impact: user, engagement, feedback, outcomes, and impact.
It is for anyone responsible for collecting or using data to learn from their work. It offers a simple framework to help you decide what data to collect, why it matters, and when a lighter-touch approach may be enough. It maps on well to a Theory of Change, supporting organisations to connect the data they collect to the change they are trying to achieve.
Training and Events
Flourish
When: Wednesday 1st July, 4 – 5PM (online)
Join Tey Bannerman (AI Strategy & Product Design Leader, ex-McKinsey) and Duncan Clark (Flourish CEO, Canva EMEA GM) as they explore what it actually takes to build trust through data in an AI-driven world.
NCVO
When: 28th July and 25th August (online)
This course will take you through the essentials of lawful data processing for charities and help improve your compliance with the law.
Superhighways
Superhighways, a Kingston Voluntary Action programme, offers practical, interactive training to help you gain the skills and confidence to choose and use free and affordable online digital tools, equipment and apps.
Discover topics in their training brochure.
Datakind UK
Datakind UK have a new webinar series supported by the Insight Infrastructure team at Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Hear from experts and real-life examples on all things AI. Some of these webinars will be run more than once, so you can choose a date that suits you best.
March 2026
Research and Insights
National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
The government’s earned settlement proposals would allow volunteering to be used as a condition to obtain, or shorten the route to, settlement in the UK.
In consultation with charities and community groups, NCVO found that of the 129 organisations who completed the survey, 97 oppose the proposals (75.2%), 22 are undecided (17.1%), and 10 support them (7.8%).
London Plus has been working with the London Volunteer Centre Network to collate insights and views, and produce a joint response to the government proposals.
The network feels very strongly that volunteering must remain voluntary and should always be a choice. Concerns were raised about the increased demands on organisations and volunteering infrastructure, and the additional workload and costs this may create without the resources to support delivery. The sector’s expertise highlights that proposals of this nature risk discriminating against those who are unable to volunteer, and potentially excluding groups who would otherwise contribute meaningfully to their communities.
nfpResearch
Trustees govern charities and are accountable for their direction – yet for most people, they remain almost invisible. Understanding what the public knows and feels about trusteeship matters, not least for efforts to recruit more diverse boards.
In January 2026, nfpResearch polled 1000 members of the general public in the United Kingdom on their attitudes to trustees, working with the Association of Chairs and Interims for Impact.
National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA)
This report explores the role of Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIOs) and the wider voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in building connections and countering hate.
Key Findings
- The voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector is key to creating the places and spaces that support community life and bring people together
- Local infrastructure organisations (LIOs) are essential to a strong VCSE sector. They bring organisations together, provide coordination, and strengthen skills and capacity – helping groups to grow, adapt, and thrive
- LIOs exist to strengthen and equip VCSE organisations – supporting their development and creating the conditions for honest, non-confrontational conversations
- While the local work of VCSE organisations, particularly community groups, is crucial, it is only one part of building stronger cohesion. As a sector, we also need to be willing to have the difficult conversations that tackle the root causes of disconnection
- VCSE organisations play a crucial role in strengthening social cohesion and supporting a more civil society. Supported by local infrastructure organisations, they can campaign effectively in their communities and contribute to a national movement working alongside the statutory sector
Community Foundation North East
Third Sector Trends has been surveying the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector every three years since 2010. To date, four of five national reports have been released.
You can find information on the first two reports in our December 2025 Research Roundup.
Income sources, assets and financial wellbeing
Key findings:
- Income is not evenly distributed – micro organisations form 36% of the third sector, but they receive less than 1% of sector income
- In 2019 only 46% of Third Sector Organisations (TSOs) stated that they received unrestricted or ‘core funding’ which rose to 60% in 2022. Grant makers have eased back on unrestricted funding since then to 56% in 2025
- In 2022, the main reason why voluntary organisations were withdrawing from the delivery of public services under contact is that contract values were too low to meet the cost of delivery. These problems have been exacerbated in 2025 with hikes in the National Minimum Wage and employers’ National Insurance contributions
- Around 45% of TSOs have not drawn on their reserves in the last year, irrespective of size, that percentage is unchanged from 2022 but much higher than in 2019 (37%)
- Over a quarter of TSOs (27%) have used reserves for essential purposes such as rent or wages
The contribution of voluntary organisations to place: North East England in comparative context
This report includes comparative regional analysis, meaning pan-London-based organisations could use it to benchmark trends and explore how their region compares to others across England and Wales.
London Plus
In December 2025, we shared a London-focused summary of the newly released Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025, along with links to further resources, and what the data might mean for the voluntary and community sector.
In January 2026, we joined Superhighways, a Kingston Voluntary Action programme, DataKind UK, OCSI, and others to explore what the latest data reveals about London. As part of the event, we invited attendees to reflect on how the data aligns with their experience working with local areas and communities, and how London’s charities and community groups are already using the data in practice.
London Plus
This review brings together existing evidence on spontaneous volunteers – people who step in to help outside formal response structures – examining the roles they play, the challenges their involvement can present, and the guidance and models available to support their safe and effective engagement. It also highlights key gaps in evidence and practice, pointing to areas for further research to strengthen community-led emergency responses.
Trust for London
This blog from Trust for London explores how the narrative of a crime-ridden, collapsing London is being fuelled by social media models that reward outrage, culture-war politics, bots and bad-faith actors who profit from anti-migrant and anti-multicultural content, despite contrary evidence.
It highlights that distorted perceptions are spreading outside the capital, and calls for broader, cross-political voices to challenge misinformation and present a more balanced picture of London’s realities.
Data
Trust for London
Poverty and inequality look different in every part of London. This interactive map and the borough summaries highlight the most pressing issues facing Londoners across the city.
The interactive data dashboard hosts a variety of Census-based data outputs from the ESRC-funded project Geographies of Ethnic Diversity and Inequalities (GEDI). The aim of the dashboard is to enable a range of user beneficiaries – central and local government, third sector organisations, general public, those working in education – to access the most up-to-date data on the changing geographies of ethnic diversity and inequalities, across cities and neighbourhoods.
Resources
In January, Superhighways, a Kingston Voluntary Action programme, organised an event to raise awareness of the new Indices of Deprivation (IoD) 2025 data for London’s small charities and community groups, collaborating with OCSI, Trust for London, DataKind UK and London Plus.
They have pulled together a set of charity friendly tools to help organisations make sense of the updated data. The collection includes four key resources that make it easier to understand local need, compare neighbourhoods and map your own postcode data against the latest dataset.
Access the tools here: Resources for Indices of Deprivation data 2025 – Superhighways
For a deeper look at what’s changed in the 2025 release and how to get started with the tools they featured, read their roundup blog and watch the event recording: Exploring the 2025 Indices of Deprivation data for London round-up – Superhighways
Training and events
When: Tuesday 14th April 2026, 2 – 3.15 PM (online); Tuesday 12th May 2026, 2 – 3.35 PM (online)
Superhighways, a Kingston Voluntary Action programme, are running a monthly session on how to protect your organisation from cyber threats. Cyber security is not only important for big businesses, but also for small charities and non-profits that rely on technology to operate and communicate.
When: Thursday 30th April 2026, 5 – 6 PM (online)
In December 2025, AoC and ACEVO, in partnership with nfpResearch, ran a joint survey to explore CEO-chair relationships, board culture and governance.
In this interactive session, ACEVO, AoC, and nfpResearch will be presenting the findings of the survey, reviewing what they have learnt, and sharing some recommendations on maintaining positive board and board-CEO dynamics and relationships.
December 2025
Research and Insights
Community Foundation North East
Third Sector Trends has been surveying the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector every three years since 2010. To date, two of five national reports have been released:
Relationships, influencing, and collaborative working
Key findings:
- Despite initiatives and previous government efforts to incentivise and help prepare voluntary organisations to engage in the delivery of public services under contract, interest continues to decline steeply
- Support from business to voluntary organisations is currently in decline
- The collaborative culture of the voluntary sector has become more selective but remains strong
- The voluntary sector has not been deterred from influencing local social and public policy
People, work, ambition, and impact
Key findings:
- The sector employs around 1.15 million people and benefits from 4.3 million regular volunteers, but volunteer and trustee numbers have declined since 2022, especially in smaller organisations
- Most sector leaders expect income, grants, and volunteer support to remain stable or increase, though confidence in statutory funding is low
- Training for staff, volunteers, and trustees is declining, particularly in smaller organisations, as income generation is prioritised over organisational development
- Leaders are generally enthusiastic about collaboration, campaigning, and developing new projects, yet many worry about financial management
- Women’s representation among chief officers has grown, but the proportion of chairs and CEOs from minority ethnic backgrounds or with disabilities has declined, even as retiree representation slowly falls
Charities Aid Foundation
This report contains insights from charity leaders across the UK, revealing their key concerns and priorities, as well as how they feel about their organisational resilience.
Key findings:
- Charity leaders are impacted by finance-related challenges and operational concerns, including increasing costs and demand for services
- Most charity leaders are finding it difficult to recruit employees and volunteers
- The average charity leader spends 70% of their time ‘firefighting’, and 30% of their time on strategic thinking, planning, and making connections for the longer term
Works4U
This report explores the social and economic impact of no volunteers, and how they are an integral part of how the UK society functions.
Reach Volunteering
Reach Volunteering have published a new blog challenging the idea that volunteering is in decline. CEO Janet Thorne offers a challenge to the prevailing narrative about declining volunteering, and a call to make it more participatory and citizen-led, highlighting how a vibrant wave of flexible, purpose-driven, and volunteer-run initiatives is thriving.
London Plus
We’ve published a London-focused summary of the newly released Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025, along with links to further resources, and what the data might mean for the voluntary and community sector.
Data
Data for London Library
Mayor of London and Greater London Authority
Share, find, and use city data to improve lives for Londoners. The Data for London Library makes datasets simpler and easier to find. With better access to data, you can help improve services, address challenges like housing and journey delays, and spark new ideas to help Londoners.
UK Grantmaking
UK Grantmaking is the annual publication on grant funding in the UK. It provides an overview of who makes grants across all funding sectors.
Community Life Survey 2023/24: London Summary
Mayor of London and Greater London Authority
This data tool provides a London-focused overview of the main findings from the Community Life Survey 2023/24. The tool presents findings from across four themes: Support, Neighbourhood, Civic Action, and Volunteering.
OCSI
OCSI have created the Local Insight IMD Explorer as a way for you to explore key Indices of Deprivation 2025 data for England through interactive maps at a range of different area levels.
Entirely free to access, the IMD Explorer can help analysts, local authorities, charities and community organisations who want to understand deprivation patterns in their areas through interactive maps and offers insight into key IoD 2025 datasets.
Resources
Datawise London, a six-year programme led by Superhighways and funded by City Bridge Foundation’s Cornerstone Fund, helped small charities and community groups across London use data to better shape services and influence change.
On October 13th 2025, Superhighways launched the programme’s legacy, where they shared their top 10 resources to support better data literacy across the sector. Explore the resources and start applying them to strengthen your charity’s data usage.
Research shows that repeating myths can actually reinforce them. Here are Frameworks UK’s top tips for addressing misinformation without mythbusting.
Training and events
When: Monday 19th January 2026, 2 PM – 3.15 PM (online)
Superhighways will delve into the many datasets available in the Local Insight tool built by OCSI at London, borough and ward levels, to better understand communities to inform your work.
When: Monday 26th January 2026, 10 AM – 11.30 AM (online)
We’ll be joining Superhighways, DataKind UK, OCSI and others to delve into this data and find out what it tells us about London.
When: Tuesday 27th January 2026, 9.30 AM – 1.30 PM (online)
The Charity AI Update event is a focused half-day online event designed to bring you up to speed with what’s new and what’s next. You’ll get a refresher on the essentials alongside practical insights into the emerging AI tools, trends, and challenges shaping 2026.
When: Wednesday 4th February 2026, 11 AM – 1.10 PM (online)
Superhighways are delivering a 3-part training series which will introduce you to the basics of Microsoft Excel.
