Valuing the Voluntary and Community Sector NAVCA Conference 2006

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Valuing the Voluntary and Community Sector
NAVCA Conference 2006

• Emma Whittlesea, Director
• 20th September

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Programme

• Introductions Welcome
• The Challenge Valuing the Voluntary and
  Community Sector
• The Learning The Audit Commission Area Profiles
  pilot process
• The Guidance How to capture good quality data
• A Data Source How to utilise GuideStar UK
• Your Experience Profiling the local voluntary
  and community sector in your area
• Questions

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Introductions and Welcome

• SUSTAIN Consultancy Ltd
• GuideStar UK
• Workshop aims

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1. The Challenge Valuing the VCS

• How do you define value?
• Economic and social value
• How do you define the Voluntary and Community
  Sector?
• What do you need on the ground? The top down
  definitions dont work and are changing.
• How do you capture and update information on the
  VCS?
• The purpose of this workshop
• Who is interested?
• NAVCA members and LSPs, Local Government, Office
  of Third Sector, HM Treasury etc.
• Why are they interested?
• Knowledge is power - to monitor and shape policy
  and funding programmes, to assist in delivery, to
  help support the work of infrastructure
  organisations

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Your experience?

• Show of hands
• Have you undertaken or are you planning to
  undertake any mapping studies?
• Think about
• Do you think your knowledge / evidence base is
  fit for purpose?

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2. The Learning

• Audit Commission Area Profiles
• VCS is 1 component of 6 in the Area Profiles
  model
• National Reference Group researchers and
  practitioners from the Audit Commission, Home
  Office, NCVO, NAVCA, CAF, GuideStar UK, WCVA (LGA
  and IDeA later)
• The Guidance Developing and testing guidance to
  help capture good quality data, profile the local
  VCS, identify and describe the extent and
  contribution of the local VCS to quality of
  life
• Partnership working Encourage and support
  capacity building, and securing and improving
  involvement of the VCS in a full range of
  activities

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• Audit
• Commission
• Area
• Profiles
• Project

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Area Profile Pilots

• Phase 1 Pilot - October 2003 to April 2004
• Phase 2 Pilot - April 2005 to March 2006
• Six pilot areas
• Birmingham Voluntary Service Council
• Chester Voluntary Action
• Liverpool Council for Voluntary Service
• West Cornwall Community Network
• Interlink Rhondda Cynon Taff
• Selby District Association of Voluntary Service

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Key Policy Links

• Not just Audit Commission Area Profiles
• Local Area Agreements
• PSA 6 on the VCS
• A lot of potential players and interests LGA,
  IDEA, ODPM, DCLG, NAVCA, NCVO etc.
• ODPM Local Strategic Partnership agenda
• Cabinet Office Office of the Third Sector
• HM Treasury Charity and Third Sector Finance Unit
• Change Up Capacity Builders
• Compact Plus

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Change Up / Capacity Builders

• Complementary to Change Up / Capacity Builders -
  sectors capacity to contribute and develop
  relationships with partners
• Supports the 6 principle areas of activity
• Collection of fundamental basic information on
  the VCS to support improved ICT, finance,
  governance, performance improvement, workforce
  development and volunteering
• Can build on the work to improve the quality of
  the VCS in terms of capacity and skills

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3. The Guidance

• Why should you use it?
• Data and information - knowledge is power
• Plenty of anecdote but the evidence base is
  weak
• Represent interests understanding
• Inform service delivery and decision making
• Co-ordinate local VCS databases
• Demonstrate the value and case for funding
• Can find organisations and groups
• Helps local organisations publicity/networking
• In the long run empower the sector
• Clear and consistent national approach

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Six Stages

• Getting Ready (Section 4)
• Database systems (Section 5)
• Developing a local VCS database (Section 6)
• Profiling the local VCS (Section 7)
• Communicating the results (Section 8)
• Reporting (Section 9)

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A) Getting Ready

• Leadership
• Terms of reference for the partnership
• Research reference group
• Involving the local voluntary and community
  sector in the project
• Resources and skills
• Defining the scope of the project
• Timetable (Appendix 2)
• Action plan

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Your experience?

• Show of hands
• Have you undertaken or are you planning to
  undertake any directory or database development?
• Think about
• How comprehensive do you think your directory or
  database is?

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B. Database systems

• Defining your requirements
• Choosing an appropriate database system
• Training, change management and people
• Maintaining your database system
• Appendices 3, 4, 5 and 6

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C. Developing a Local VCS Database

• Identifying and collecting existing databases
  e.g. Online survey for all LIOs
• Agreeing the design of the master database
• Adding databases together to create the master
• Cleaning the master database
• Sharing database information
• Using information from GuideStar UK
• Filling gaps in the master database
• Updating information / collecting standard core
  information (common registration form - Appendix
  1)

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Exercise 1

• Appendix 7 lists some of the types of bodies
  most likely to have databases that include
  voluntary and community organisations. Working
  through this form will help you identify what
  data already exists.
• Please look through Appendix 7 and tick those you
  work closely with or have exchanged database
  information.
• Tick those you think you could or should be
  working closer with.

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Capturing good quality data
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Case Study

• Herefordshire and Worcestershire
• Universe of voluntary and community
  organisations based on local databases and data
  from GuideStar UK
• Core economic and social data on registered
  charities available from GuideStar UK
• All organisations invited to complete an online
  survey to capture economic data from other
  voluntary and community groups, and other data to
  support activities of LIOs.

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Utilising GuideStar UK
A Data Source
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D. Profiling the local VCS
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Your experience?

• How was your profiling work done?
• Show of hands
• From your profiling/mapping work with just a
  report, or did you also capture data that could
  be stored in your database and used for future
  analysis?
• Think about
• The methodology, timing and cost?
• Did / will it meet your longer term needs and
  wants?

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The Problems

• Longevity
• Lack of consistency in the methods used to carry
  out research no basis for comparison
• Lack of agreement about the scope / definition
• Lack of consistency in collection and
  presentation of basic factual information e.g.
  descriptions of what organisations do, who they
  serve, method of calculating response rates
• Appendix 9 has information on some mapping
  studies and some suggestions for further reading

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Profiling the VCS

• Using the data you have collected
• Master database is the key to understanding your
  local VCS - source of information
• Means to gathering additional information -
  mailing list or sampling frame
• Up to date good quality and relevant information
• Analyse the data you now hold main
  characteristics
• Principal feature of the guidance is the
  registration form at Appendix 1 which has core
  standard fields for gathering the data
• Appendix 10 provides a template on how you can
  use the core information to produce a descriptive
  report

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Assessing Impact

• Core information describes main characteristics
• Assess impact of the sector
• Demanding and cumulative task
• Build up understanding over time
• Gathering contextual and additional information
• Use existing information
• Interview key players
• Conduct focus groups with a sample
• Carry out more detailed research with some or all
  of the organisations in your database

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Exercise 2

• Appendix 12 is a form asking some specific
  questions to help collate and summarise
  contextual information
• Please look through Appendix 12 and consider how
  much you already know about the context in which
  the VCS operates locally
• Tick those you think you would need to do further
  work or investigation on

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E. Communicating the results

• Often and well maximise its utility
• Use all existing networks
• Use as a common information platform an
  evidence base for all
• Engage with local media
• Share experiences of profiling with others
  share the learning
• Archiving of information and reports

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F. Reporting

• Consider the following
• Types of audience
• Local Government, practitioners, funders, service
  users
• Types of report
• Printed publications summary and full reports
• Web based reports
• Presentation
• Events, conference etc.

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Evaluation of the Guidance

• Can be used in whole or in part - flexible and
  can adapt to suit approach and resources
• Structured approach and advice useful
• Guidance has provided the basis and impetus for
  local work, often in partnership
• Provided useful results and improved information
  and understanding locally
• Timeframe required 6-12 months
• Needs adequate resources and planning

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Where can I find it?

• Getting to know your local voluntary and
  community sector - A Guide to Area Profiles
• Guidance and tools (forms, checklists,
  timetables, templates etc)
• Published by NAVCA as a PDF document in June 2006
• Available from
• www.navca.org.uk (over 900 views to date)
• www.audit-commission.gov.uk/area profiles

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Questions DiscussionAny issues that need
feeding back to NAVCA?
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Contacts

• Emma Whittlesea
• SUSTAIN Consultancy Ltd
• 01752 663288 / 07775 845939
• emma.whittlesea_at_sustainconsultancy.co.uk
• Les Hems
• GuideStar UK
• 0207 632 0217 / 07836 780067
• les.hems_at_guidestar.org.uk