NCVO and Volunteering England will likely have merged by the New Year, as no “major obstacles” prevent it from going ahead, the NCVO chief said yesterday.

Sir Stuart Etherington revealed on Monday afternoon that the talks with Volunteering England were progressing “very well”.

“We see no major obstacles to that merger going ahead,” said Sir Stuart. “We hope to complete by 31 December.”

The merger process has progressed quickly. Formal merger discussions between the two umbrella bodies did not start until the summer just past, when leaders from both organisations heralded it as a meeting of organisational minds and values.

Speaking at the launch of the new Big Assist funding programme at NCVO headquarters in north London (pictured), Sir Stuart said that NCVO also had to change with the times. “It is only right that funders adapt,” he said.

NCVO to invest in digital and peer-to-peer

For NCVO that means working more with partners like Volunteering England, and emphasising digital technology and peer-to-peer learning.

“NCVO will invest more money next year in its digital platform,” he said.

Given the reduced time and financial resource available to many organisations, he said that large, expensive conferences may not be practicable in the future. “It is extraordinarily expensive and probably not the way to provide support services in the future.  

“For us, peer-to-peer learning, and use of new technology will be far more important,” he said.