The voluntary sector was “given a voice” during the 2010 election campaign according to research conducted by the Third Sector Research Centre.

The Opportunity and influence study was undertaken to measure the effects of the 2010 election on increasing the sector's influence in British politics and found that the recent election had helped to increase focus on the sector but there were still challenges to be met.

Documentary analysis and interviews with key stakeholders undertaken before, during and after the election found that the sector “was implicitly at the heart of all party agendas” and that most commentators “expected to see a significant role for the voluntary sector in policy developments and public service delivery in the coming years.”

The study notes distinctions in terms of the sector's various campaigning portfolios including longer, more election-focused campaigning as well as opportunistic and anti-electoral campaigning.

Efforts from key players such as Acevo, which held summits with the three main parties in the six months prior to the election, are congratulated in an election which made political positioning more treacherous. Organisations making themselves available for comment on arising issues are also positively highlighted as opposed to those practising caution by limiting campaigning to behind-the-scenes, which are seen as having had an “inhibiting effect” on dialogue.

The study notes the “surprising” rise of the community agenda in election manifestos and in particular the references to social enterprise.

“Notably, all three parties made routine and positive references to social enterprise, not only in relation to third sector policy but in multiple contexts, a stark contrast to 2005 when it was mentioned in just one party’s manifesto,” the study advises.

While the shifts in parliament and within the Cabinet Office, such as the move from the Office of the Third Sector to the Office for Civil Society, are seen as unnerving, allegiance to the coalition parties is considered to provide some assurances: “If a general election can be considered to have winners and losers among the sector, then social enterprise, the community sector, and organisations allied or influential to the new coalition government, such as the Big Society Network and the think-tank ResPublica, have emerged in a positive light,” the study concludes.