Voluntary Sector Infrastructure Insights Hub

From: London Plus

About: This report (compiled by Superhighways, Think Social Tech, and Kane Data) gives an overview of the role of Councils for Voluntary Services (CVSs) and equivalent Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIOs) in London and their overall impact in 2022/23. It is based on research with 28 CVSs, who contributed data, case studies and impact reports.

Key Findings

In 2022/23, London’s CVSs:

• Supported over 21,000 voluntary and community sector (VCSE) organisations
• Helped leverage over £24.6 million for the VCSE sector across London, with an average of over £945,000 per borough
• Strengthened connections by hosting more than 1,400 network meetings and forum events
• Built capacity by delivering 646 training sessions to over 11,000 people from more than 9,000 organisations
• Amplified the sector’s voice by representing and advocating for local VCSE organisations on strategic forums, engaging over 10,000 stakeholders, and collaborating with cross-sector partners
• Beyond core services:
  • 46% provided social prescribing activities
  • 71% ran direct community development programmes
  • 71% redistributed grants

From: London Plus

About: This report (compiled by Superhighways, Think Social Tech, and Kane Data) gives an overview of the impact and role of Volunteer Centres (VCs) and borough based volunteering infrastructure in London in 2022/23. It is based on research with all 25 Volunteer Centres in London, who contributed data, case studies and impact reports.

Key Findings

• In 2022/23, London’s Volunteer Centres helped place over 17,000 volunteers in London, contributing to a regional volunteering economy valued at £35.9 billion
• Sustained funding to local volunteering infrastructure is essential, as they face significant funding reductions despite rising demand
• Volunteering requires investment in local infrastructure, from promotion and recruitment to onboarding, training, and event delivery, to ensure a positive volunteer experience
• Volunteer Centres are adapting to a decline in volunteering by streamlining processes, creating flexible opportunities, and responding to changing lifestyles
• Volunteer Centres lead on making volunteering inclusive and accessible, breaking down barriers, and engaging people from all backgrounds
• Volunteer Centres play a key role in building community strength across London

From: National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA)

About: NAVCA is a national membership body for local infrastructure organisations that support the voluntary and community sector.

NAVCA worked with their local infrastructure organisations to group their work into four key areas.

Key Findings

The four functions of local infrastructure organisations reflect the vital role they play in helping communities thrive.

1. Leadership and advocacy
2. Partnerships and collaborations
3. Capacity building
4. Volunteering

From: Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

About: This research was produced by Ipsos UK, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (at Sheffield Hallam University), PBE, University of the West of Scotland, and supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

It aimed to develop the evidence base on local civil society infrastructure as part of the department’s ongoing work to explore the factors and organisations that contribute to a strong civil society.

Key Findings

Which organisations and functions fall within ‘local civil society infrastructure’?

• There is no agreed definition of the organisations and functions of local civil society infrastructure (LCSI)
• Five types of LCSI functions were identified: facilitating funding, organisational development, advocacy, volunteering and community participation, and convening
• It was estimated that there were 530 LCSI organisations actively delivering services in 2023
• There has been a gradual decline in the number of LCSI organisations operating in England since 2006

How can we measure whether sufficient local civil society infrastructure is present in a local area? How can we categorise ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ local civil society infrastructure?

• There is no universally agreed way to define or measure ‘strong’ LCSI, although discussion of strength has typically focused on financial sustainability
• Higher LCSI coverage and higher LCSI expenditure does not necessarily correlate with higher rates of civil society organisation survival or foundation
• Knowledge of the local area, being well connected with good-quality relationships, and stakeholder buy-in (especially from local government) were seen as important factors in the quality of LCSI
• Stakeholders emphasise the need for sufficient, consistent and flexible funding to enable LCSI organisations to fulfil their core functions effectively

What are the impacts, benefits and costs associated with strong or weak local civil society infrastructure, and to whom do they fall?

• Assessing the impact, costs, and benefits of LCSI is difficult due to complex attribution chains, a wide range of activities, and diverse organisational structures.
• A Theory of Change outlines how LCSI activities can lead to better targeted resources, improved policy making, and increased community trust, empowerment, and belonging
• Survey data suggests that LCSI organisations state their activities contribute to positive short and medium term outcomes, particularly in areas like:
  • Increased funding for voluntary and community sector organisations
  • Stronger relationships between voluntary and community organisations and strategic partners
  • Better alignment between voluntary and community sector services and local needs
• There is less confidence amongst LCSI organisations on their impact on policymaking, community engagement practices, and diversity within voluntary and community sector organisations.
• From the case studies where there was well-established LCSI provision, key benefits were:
  • Frontline organisations including increased access to funding sources, greater connections, and increased confidence to take ideas to decision makers
  • This may benefit local communities through stronger frontline organisations and increased volunteering activities
  • Statutory bodies gaining a greater insight of local needs, improvements in commissioning processes and local policy decisions

What factors and models are effective in strengthening local infrastructure?

• There is limited explicit evidence on ‘what works’ in strengthening LCSI. This research has emphasised the importance of working with the ‘grain’ of local contexts
• Stakeholders consistently identified three approaches that can support the improvement of LCSI:
  • Addressing key challenges within the funding system
  • Enhancing strategic buy-in
  • Building on good-quality relationships to develop more formal structures

From: 360Giving

About: Voluntary sector infrastructure bodies perform vital roles supporting and enabling voluntary and community organisations, both locally and at a national level. This report explores how the voluntary sector infrastructure has changed over the last 12 years, particularly by looking at its finances and funding.

Key Findings

• In 2023, the UK had an estimated 700 voluntary sector infrastructure bodies with combined annual spending of over £500 million. The majority of these (n=519) were local or regionally based organisations and 180 had a national remit
• The 20 largest organisations in this cohort accounted for over a third (37.5%) of the spend, but the majority of organisations were relatively small with 29% having a turnover under £100k and 80% under £1m
• Sector infrastructure has not grown in real terms over the last decade, following large falls in the size of the sector before that. This is despite growth in the voluntary and community sector as a whole over the same period
• The sector has a diverse set of funding sources. Around one quarter of the sector’s income is from government (both grants and contracts), with a further 8% from other grantmakers. The remainder is likely to consist largely of membership fees and income from providing services. Some of these contracts are for the infrastructure to deliver contracted services (e.g. to support Clinical Commissioning Groups) rather than provide direct support for charities and community groups
• Very few trusts and foundations fund the sector infrastructure organisations and it is a very fragile ecosystem. Changes to funder strategies expose this vulnerability with some infrastructure bodies reporting that they have few funders that they are even eligible to apply to
• Covid-19 had a significant impact on voluntary sector infrastructure funding, including large one-off grants to help infrastructure bodies support their members, as well as help them survive as organisations themselves

From: National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA)

About: This research was carried out by CRESR, the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University during 2024, funded as part of the NAVCA Development Programme by The National Lottery Community Fund.

It seeks to identify the internal and external conditions that enable or prevent effective delivery of local voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector infrastructure support services by Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIOs). This report details the rationale for the study, the research methods, findings and conclusions from the research.

Key Findings

The research emphasises three cross-cutting findings:

1. Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIOs) find themselves in highly complex and demanding positions, balancing capacity against multiple expectations from different parts of a diverse local voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector and different statutory stakeholders
2. LIOs encounter stabilising and destabilising forces which work to secure or unsettle their overall position. These forces typically arise from the funding environment, strategic leadership, LIO credibility and regard, and competition from others
3. The conditions for effective local VCSE infrastructure are typically interconnected. LIOs can experience positive and negative spirals between connected issues – for example, a chain between leadership, relationships, legitimacy and funding

From: National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA)

About: NAVCA is a national membership body for local infrastructure organisations that support the voluntary and community sector.

Their report “Connecting communities, enabling common ground”, explores the role of 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