VSSN’s New Researchers pages have moved and they’re now easier to find and use We’ve recently updated the New Researchers area of the VSSN website to make our resources clearer and more accessible. If you’re looking for information about New Researchers activities (including online sessions, the New Researchers Day, and ways to get involved), please […]
Blog
VSSN in 2025
At the start of 2026, we wanted to share a short ‘year in review’ looking back on 2025, and to say thank you to everyone who contributed to VSSN’s work over the past year, whether you joined an event, presented research, shared opportunities, supported others in the community, or simply stayed connected. VSSN exists to […]
VSSN Small Grant 2023-24: Impact management: exploring and sharing the learning
In her role at Derbyshire Voluntary Action, Jennifer Raschbauer became very aware of the challenge many charities and community organisations face when trying to demonstrate the impact of their work. She realised that the challenge was becoming more critical as, in the face of budget cuts and growing demand for their services, statutory health and […]
VSSN Trustee Elections 2025
Voting is now open for the election of new members to the VSSN Board of Trustees. The election runs from 7th to 21st November 2025 and is open to all current members of VSSN. If you are a member, you will receive an email invitation to vote via a SmartSurvey link. There are 5 candidates […]
VSSN Small Grant Scheme
Announcing the 2025 Funding Call The latest call for VSSN Small Grant applications is now open. The deadline for applications is 21 November 2025. Through this annual call, VSSN funds projects which support and develop an idea or activity that will benefit voluntary sector studies in the UK. For example, the grants can be used […]
VSSN Plenary Sessions from the September 2025 Annual Conference
Recordings of the plenary sessions at the September 2025 Conference at Bayes Business School in London can be found here and here.
Empowering Charities to Campaign: Navigating Legal Challenges in the Third Sector. By Tilly Clough (Queen’s University, Belfast)
In today’s world, charities play a vital role not only in providing services but also in raising their voices to advocate for societal change. However, this essential role is often complicated by legal constraints. For many charities, the fear of crossing legal lines – sometimes unclear or inconsistently enforced – creates a “chilling effect” on […]
Upcoming Workshops on Digital Inclusion for Disabled Volunteers – London (5 June) & Salford (12 June)
From Daiga Kamerāde, Professor in Work and Well-being , School of Health & Society Director of Research Centre for Inclusive Society, University of Salford I’m pleased to invite you to a practical, in-person workshop exploring digital inclusion for disabled volunteers, based on findings from the Digitvol research project. We are running two sessions: London – Wednesday 5 June (12:30–4:00pm, […]
Registration open for Voluntary Action History Society Conference 2-3 July 2025
Voluntary Action History Society’s 8TH International Conference: ‘New Ways of Doing Voluntary Action History?’ University of Liverpool, UK, 2-3 July 2025 Registration now open VAHS is pleased to announce that the registration for its 8th International Conference is now open. This is a ‘boutique’ conference which will take place over two days rather than the […]
A hello from the new Co-Chairs of VSSN
Amy Sanders (Aberystwyth University) and Vita Terry (IVAR) We know right now might be an unsettling time for some voluntary sector researchers with the state of flux currently in the world, and because of this, we believe that spaces to come together are ever more important: to pause, reflect, and connect with one another. We thought […]
