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Valuing the Voluntary and Community Sector in North Yorkshire and York
The research was carried out by the Policy Research Institute on
behalf of the North Yorkshire Forum for Voluntary Organisations
(NYFVO), with the support of the local development agencies in North
Yorkshire and York. The research was carried out from January to June
2000. It was funded by NYFVO, North Yorkshire County Council and City
of York Council, and focused on the broader voluntary and community
sector, from major charities to small community organisations, across
a large and geographically diverse area.
The purpose of this project was to provide detailed information about
the value of the voluntary and community sector to both the social and
economic life of the community. Although it is increasingly recognised
that voluntary and community organisations make a significant
contribution to social and economic well-being across North Yorkshire
and York, there is little specific information available to facilitate
an understanding of the sector's position and needs, or a full
recognition of its role as a stakeholder.
- North Yorkshire and York boasts a dynamic and vibrant voluntary and community sector consisting of at least 3000 organisations which provide a vast range of services and opportunities.
- The sector is a major service provider in health and social care, leisure and recreation, play and youth work, education and life long learning, advice and information, environment, arts, housing, economic and community development, community safety and criminal justice, heritage and animal welfare.
- The survey indicated that the services of the sector are used 4 million times each year (this figure inevitably includes some multiple use of services by the same individuals).
- At least 50,000 people volunteer within the sector working a total of over 1 million hours each year. Many others volunteer with statutory agencies.
- A further 5300 people serve as charity trustees working a total of 200,000 hours each year.
- Nearly 12000 people are employed in the sector. A third of these work full-time which is about twice the number of those employed full time in agriculture. The total annual salary bill for full and part time staff in the voluntary sector is in excess of £55 million.
- The total revenue income of voluntary and community organisations for the 1999/2000 financial year was in excess of £109 million.
- The turnover of the sector is a minimum of £132 million, whilst its contribution to sub-regional GDP lies between 1.0 and 2.5%.
- For every £1 that local authorities invest in the sector, a further £7 is brought in from elsewhere.
- Voluntary and community organisations identify their biggest challenges as: maintaining their services for their users, coping with changing demands, finding sustainable funding, and recruiting volunteers.
The context of the research
There is increasing recognition of the value and contribution of the
voluntary and community sector by the European Union, the UK
government, regional and local agencies. For example, all the local
authorities in North Yorkshire and York consider that the sector is an
invaluable channel for community involvement in decision-making and
the general well-being of the area.
At the same time there are many changes in the economy, society and
policy which offer both threats and opportunities to the sector. These
include increased competition for funding, a growing emphasis on
contracting and value for money in service provision, and the
government's promotion of working in partnership with the community.
There has been a shift in the way the sector is funded. Funding
through grants has been largely replaced by more demanding contracts
or service level agreements. This may cause problems for some small
organisations. Voluntary organisations are frequently dependent on
volunteers to provide services and there is evidence that recruiting
volunteers is becoming more difficult especially in rural areas.
The overarching concern is one of capacity – the ability of the
sector to continue to fulfil the increasing demands which are placed
on it. This raises issues about the infrastructure in the sector, both
within individual organisations and within the sector as a whole.
The voluntary and community sector in North Yorkshire and York faces
an additional set of challenges by virtue of its location. Although
generally there is low unemployment, there is much under-employment
and many pockets of deprivation. The rural nature of much of the area
leads to isolation as a result of poor public transport and service
fragmentation.
Because little is known about the specific impacts of the sector
locally, it has been difficult for voluntary organisations to
demonstrate their full value and in particular their contribution to
the local economy. The evidence provided by this survey demonstrates
that the voluntary and community sector is not only a major provider
of essential services, but it is also an important stakeholder in the
economy of the sub-region.
The project
A mailing list was created from information supplied by the local
development agencies. Following the removal of duplicated
organisations, a questionnaire was distributed to voluntary and
community organisations across North Yorkshire and York.
A series of focus groups was held, one for each of the local
authority areas. These were used to elicit more detailed information
about the key themes included in the questionnaire. A cross section of
organisations, involved in a range of activities aimed at different
beneficiaries, was invited. Further interviews were undertaken with
officers (staff) of all the local authorities plus other public sector
bodies.
The final report presents a thematic over view of the contents and a
breakdown by local authority area. By taking a holistic approach
including the nature of the organisations, their activities, clients,
funding, staffing, marketing, partnerships, training needs and future
role, a broad but in-depth snapshot has been provided, offering
maximum benefit to all concerned.
The sample and extrapolation of findings
The response received to the questionnaire was slightly less than
50%. However, it is reasonable to extrapolate for the sector as a
whole by doubling the information from respondents. The justification
for this is:
- The profile of organisations who did not reply is likely to be very similar to that of those who did.
- A number of organisations not listed on the database were subsequently identified.
The figures above were reached in this way. The statistics below
refer directly to the sample responding to the questionnaire.
Organisations, their activities and clients
More than half of all respondents (57%) were registered charities.
Over a quarter were local voluntary organisations, whilst a fifth were
branches of national voluntary organisations. 16% were informal
community or neighbourhood groups which had a constitution or a set of
rules, only 4% were community groups which did not.
The largest groups of organisations were involved in welfare/social
care, leisure and recreation, or play/youth work. Organisations were
most likely to consider their most important areas of work to be in
welfare/social care, village halls, play/youth work, or leisure and
recreation. The most important user groups were (respectively) elderly
people, families, children under 16, young people 16-24, and children
under 5. However, substantial numbers of organisations also catered
for other groups, including women, disabled people, people with mental
health problems or learning difficulties, carers and unemployed
people. 44% of all organisations offered information and advice, 34%
provided a direct service.
Larger voluntary organisations were most likely to consider their
prime working relationships to be with statutory agencies offering
contracts in health and social care, whilst smaller voluntary and
community organisations have closer links with district councils. In
the City of York Council, both roles exist alongside each other.
Funding
The most important sources of funding were (respectively)
fees/charges/subscriptions, fundraising, contracts, and external
grants/funds. Contracts are a very important source of income for some
organisations, but equally unimportant for others. This indicates the
division within the sample between large organisations undertaking
functions which have been contracted out by statutory agencies, and
smaller organisations who are unlikely to do this kind of work.
Fundraising in a variety of traditional and more innovative ways,
still makes up the largest part of the funding of the voluntary
sector. The questionnaire responses indicate that for every £1
which the sector attracts from local authorities, it levers in an
additional £7 from other sources.
Much of the funding which is received by voluntary and community
organisations is short-term in nature, with optimistic assumptions
being made about the longer-term sustainability of projects. Much time
is spent making repeated bids for funding from different agencies to
ensure that work can be continued. This is damaging to the continuity
of a service and causes anxieties for both its users and its staff.
Employment
The organisations responding employed a total of 1951 full-time staff
and 4006 part time staff. More than half of the voluntary and
community organisations responding to the questionnaire spent less
than £50,000 on salaries in a year. More than a quarter paid no
salaries at all.
Volunteering
The organisations responding had a total of 24,936 volunteers,
working a total of 527,910 hours in a year. It appears easier to
obtain volunteers in the more urban areas compared to the most rural
ones. Many contracts held by voluntary and community organisations are
dependent on the availability of volunteers for fulfilment. Smaller
populations, poor public transport and the need to travel some
distance to undertake the work all militate against volunteering. This
leads many organisations to feel that they are competing with each
other for the same small groups of volunteers.
Contracting out
It is primarily the larger voluntary organisations which are involved
in contracts, either with North Yorkshire County Council, City of York
Council, or other statutory agencies. Contracts are offered and sought
in a variety of ways and for different reasons. Some voluntary
organisations argue that there is a need for a more consistent
approach to contracting which is sensitive to the characteristics and
diverse nature of the sector. Some voluntary organisations provide
services under contracts that would not be economic for commercial or
other providers.
Partnerships and perceptions
Issues raised both by voluntary and community organisations and
representatives of other organisations flagged up a mismatch in the
expectations and understanding each has of the other. The views of
joint-working with the sector held by statutory bodies varied widely.
This reflected the differing views of the sector itself and the
understanding of its present situation held by the officers involved.
It also, especially within some local authorities, reflected the lack
of a 'corporate voice' in dealing with the sector.
Some officers criticised voluntary representatives for being unable
to attend meetings regularly, for being reluctant to represent the
whole sector, and for not responding quickly. Representatives of
voluntary organisations questioned the nature of 'partnership' and
'consultation', pointing out the gap between 'rhetoric and reality'
and the scarcity of their human resources to meet these demands.
The needs and perceptions of larger charities varied from those of
their smaller relations. They employed more staff and volunteers, and
had a greater capacity to take on contracted work, and fulfil the
expectations of partnership arrangements.
Training and development
The majority of organisations provide training for their staff and
volunteers, although they are less likely to provide training
specifically for trustees. This training is most likely to be
delivered in house, but almost two thirds have also sent staff to
courses elsewhere, such as those provided by NYFVO.
The areas in which voluntary and community organisations were most
likely to consider they needed more training were:
- Fundraising.
- Bidding for contracts.
- Project management.
- Personnel management.
- ICT.
The major barrier to receiving training was the lack of sufficient
local and affordable training of a suitable quality.
The future role of the voluntary and community sector
Regarding the future role of the sector, the three major challenges
cited by voluntary organisations were:
- Ensuring that services provided continue to meet users needs.
- Finding new sources of funding and maintaining current sources of funding.
- Finding, recruiting and keeping volunteers.
There is a recognition within the sector that it must adapt to
changing circumstances. However, many organisations feel unsure and
even threatened by this. They are unsure of what is required of them,
of the current policy framework, and of their role within it.
Conclusions
The findings of this research clearly show that the voluntary and
community sector is making a substantial, and often unrecognised,
contribution to the local economy. However, the contribution of the
sector relates to far more than its economic value. It is also a key
stakeholder in all aspects of life, with a rapidly expanding role.
A series of issues emerged from the research, although the relative
significance of these varies from district to district.
- The increasing dependency on volunteers to ensure services are delivered successfully.
- Long term financial planning is limited by the nature and duration of the funding available.
- The ability to sustain services in the sector.
- Contracting can compromise the valuable core functions of voluntary/community sector organisations and their role as pressure groups.
- The representational role of the sector, its accountability and its ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
- Capacity issues and the ability to balance many competing demands - core and contract work, working in partnerships, fund-raising and bidding for contracts, and quality assurance issues.
By taking a holistic approach in this research, and placing it within
the current policy context, the findings will provide a firm foundation
for the advancement of the voluntary and community sector in North Yorkshire.
The research has raised a series of issues which must be addressed together
by the voluntary/community sector, local government and other statutory
agencies if successful joint working, quality service provision and community
representation are all to be ensured.
November 2000.
Download all or part of the research
All or part of the research can be downloaded using the links below. These files are in Adobe Acrobat's Portable Document Format (PDF). Help with downloading files.
Volume 1 (detailed report on findings across North Yorkshire and York) (includes executive summary)
Questionnaire used in the research
Volume 2 (findings for all of the local authority areas)
Volume 2 is also available in parts, one for each local authority area. Each includes statistical information relevant to that area and findings on the relationships between the voluntary and community sector and the relevant local authority.
Volume 2 - Richmondshire district
Volume 2 - Scarborough borough
Volume 2 - North Yorkshire county
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North Yorkshire Forum for Voluntary Organisations
Crayke House, Birch Way, Easingwold Business Park,
Stillington Road, Easingwold, York YO61 3FB
Tel: 01347 825710
Fax: 01347 824246
email nyfvo@nyfvo.org.uk
web www.nyfvo.org.uk
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