The profile of the VCFSE sector has never been greater, and we want to keep it this way. The survey explores key areas such as finances, volunteering and partnerships. It is only by understanding what is happening in communities, and what is facing you in the future, that CAVA, the public sector and funders can understand where to put our efforts to support you.
CAVA uses the findings to inform local government, funders and the public of the scale and impact of the sector. Findings from previous surveys have proved invaluable to individual organisations for a range of activities including lobbying and fundraising. To see the findings from previous State of the Sector surveys visit here.
Our last report estimated that there were around 13,300 VCFSE organisations operating across Warwickshire and Solihull, over three quarters of these are small in size. We also estimated that the economic impact of volunteering was £129,300,000 annually.
In 2021 you told us that demand had gone up and income down, leaving some organisations fighting for survival as you were trying to navigate the challenges that the pandemic had thrown at you. Although the impact was not all negative, you also said that working practices and service delivery models had been transformed, enabling you to reach communities in more and different ways.
The survey takes 20-25 minutes to complete, so get a cuppa ready. We know your time is precious, and we value everybody’s contribution, from organisations small and large, volunteers, trustees, and staff. The closing date is 14th July 2023, and all organisations that respond can choose to be entered into a prize draw with a chance to win one of six £50 Love2Shop vouchers!
The survey is being administered on behalf of CAVA by Tiller Research Ltd. Your responses are confidential. Personal information will not be shared with any other party, and will only be used to administer the prize draw unless you opt-in to future contact.
Councillor Heather Timms, Portfolio Holder for Environment, Climate and Culture for Warwickshire County Council comments:
“The State of the Sector reports are an invaluable tool to identify the opportunities and challenges impacting the VCSE sector and shaping how the County Council and our partners respond.
Our commitment to levelling-up the most deprived areas of the County is evidence driven and these reports are an important part of building an accurate picture of what is going on. The embedding of a community powered approach in everything the Council does relies on the type of community intelligence drawn out by these reports.
This information also informs the Council’s investment into the VCSE sector, including funding streams such as the new Social Fabric Fund which is aligned to levelling-up priority areas.
For these reasons we encourage as many VCSE organisations as possible to give their views by completing a survey form.”
Understanding your impact and challenges, and helping you to respond, has never been more important to us. Thank you!
