Sophie and Susannah went along to a Voluntary Sector Studies Network (VSSN) conference in Aberystwyth last week at the National Library of Wales. Wiserd is the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data, which organised the conference alongside the VSSN. The topic of conversation was “The role of community and voluntary organisations in […]
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VSSN’s Strategic Review 2023
Every so often, the Voluntary Sector Studies Network’s Trustee Board undertakes a review of our organisation’s strategy. This includes going back to first principles: looking at our charitable objectives and assessing how best to meet them, to serve our members and the wider voluntary sector and associated research communities. At the start of 2023, with […]
6 things you need to know about small charities
At the start of Small Charity Week, Jon Dean provides an overview of key pieces of research outlining the value small charities and key issues affecting them. As Small Charity Week starts, it is important to think about the specific contribution that small charities make to communities throughout the UK and across the world. Small […]
Event report: Learning from Failure – Airing our Dirty Laundry
Failure is an inevitable aspect of human experience, but in a social environment that demands success, it tends to be swept under the carpet and forgotten, along with the opportunity to learn from our mistakes. Is it possible to create a space where we can openly share stories of our failures and what we have […]
Voluntary sector data gap to be plugged by new national observatory
By Daniel King Data poverty has been widely identified as a core weakness for the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector. Whilst there is good work going on, ultimately data is disjointed, fragmented and sporadic. This has key implications, where it is argued that “the low quality of data on the sector is hampering […]
Steering Group statement on equality, diversity and inclusion.
VSSN Steering Group statement on equality, diversity and inclusion in our work and voluntary sector research In recent years there has been an increased focus on failures within the voluntary sector to provide a space that is equally accessible for all, free of discrimination, and inclusive of people from different backgrounds. Several research reports into […]
Learning experiences of doing small grant events during Covid, by Philippa Davies
I am a PhD researcher at Cardiff University and WISERD and I was lucky to receive a VSSN development grant in 2020. I applied for the grant to disseminate the findings of my study to the policy sector which was the focus of my study; women leaders’ experience in Welsh sport. My results included women […]
Blog: Tot Fosters blog on small charities using video
Telling stories about impact, talking to supporters, reaching out, collaborating with service users….video can do so much for small charities. And in these strange times anything that can help with online communications has got to be good. But there’s a problem – not many small charities are making the most of video. It’s seen as […]
Launching UK-CAT
First published 06/07/2021: https://charityclassification.org.uk/blog/2021/10/06/launching-ukcat/ Today we’re launching a new classification of charities in the UK, which aims to help researchers, umbrella bodies and others make sense of the diverse group of organisations that form the voluntary sector. The voluntary sector is defined by shared characteristics – legal form, volunteerism, non-profit distributing – but the sector […]
Place Leadership Revisited – Phil Barton
Partnerships in Environmental Regeneration in North West England 1980 – 2010: a Practitioner Perspective There is no longer any doubt that we are facing climate and ecological catastrophe if we fail to change our ways – and quickly. Scientists are agreed – from IPBES to IPCC , from Sir David Attenborough to Sir David King […]
