Four national umbrella bodies have proposed a review of voluntary sector infrastructure in England, led by an independent chair.
The leaders of ACEVO, CFG, NAVCA and NCVO today published proposals for an independent commission, which will aim to address the underlying causes behind several charity sector infrastructure bodies closing in recent years.
In their joint blog post announcing the proposals, the chief executives said that while much conversation in the sector had focused on funders increasing their support for infrastructure, “they address only one half of the equation”.
Instead, they intend for the review to prioritise discussions about what support charities will need from infrastructure bodies over the next decade and whether current structures are best suited to meet those requirements.
These conversations will include how bodies such as ACEVO, CFG, NAVCA and NCVO may have “overlapping memberships or beneficiaries and compete for the same members, the same audiences, the same funders and the same attention”.
“For a small charity trying to work out where to turn for help, the landscape can be confusing; for statutory organisations and stakeholders wanting to engage the sector it isn’t always clear where to start,” they said.
“And too many infrastructure organisations have proved to be more fragile than the charities and groups they exist to support.
“Infrastructure holds a great deal of hard-won knowledge, relationships, trust and expertise that needs to be protected.
“But a shortage of strategic definition may in the end harm the sector as much as a shortage of money, and funding the status quo one emergency at a time will not address that.”
Charities ‘do not necessarily need the infrastructure that exists today’
Reach Volunteering reversed plans to close in September after a group of nine funders and donors offered last-minute financial support.
Last month, the Directory of Social Change announced its sudden closure, also noting the financial challenges it had faced.
In today’s announcement, the umbrella bodies said they had held some conversations with funders about supporting the commission’s work but they are not proposing to lead the review themselves.
Rather, they intend to “act as a catalyst for this work and to hold oversight of its progress” and are seeking the involvement of “small volunteer-led community groups to the biggest charities in the country, from government nationally and locally” as well as funders.
The four infrastructure bodies have committed to:
- Being open about their own conflicts of interest, and keeping the review independent of them.
- Publishing what it finds, including where that is uncomfortable for them.
- Giving its recommendations serious and thorough consideration, including where they would come at a cost to their own organisations.
“We want the widest possible range of voices to shape what comes next and one of the first tasks will be to set out how and when organisations and individuals can contribute, so that everyone is heard on the same terms,” they said.
“Until then, we ask everyone who cares about the future of our sector in all its diversity to think about what support is really needed in order for it to thrive, and to watch for the invitation to contribute.
“Charities, voluntary organisations and community groups need strong infrastructure. They do not necessarily need the infrastructure that exists today. We would much rather shape that change together, carefully and deliberately, than see it happen one closure at a time.”
The umbrella bodies are seeking about £250,000 to launch the review, which is expected to run for up to a year.
