National Council for Voluntary Organisations

Last updated

National Council for Voluntary Organisations
AbbreviationNCVO
Formation1919;105 years ago (1919) (as the National Council of Social Services (NCSS))
Legal statuscharity and membership organisation
HeadquartersSociety Building, 8 All Saints Street, London N1 9RL.
Location
Region served
England
Membership
12,000+ [1]
Chief Executive
 Sarah Vibert
Website www.ncvo.org.uk

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is the umbrella body for the voluntary and community sector in England. It is a registered charity (no 225922). [2] NCVO works to support the voluntary and community sector and to create an environment in which an independent civil society can flourish. NCVO has a membership of more than 14,000 voluntary organisations. [1] These range from large national bodies to community groups, volunteer centres, and development agencies working at a local level.

Contents

Location

NCVO's headquarters are in the King's Cross, London area at Society Building, 8 All Saints Street, London N1 9RL.

Aims

NCVO aims to:

Activity

NCVO represents the views of its members, and the wider voluntary sector to government, the European Union and other bodies. It carries out research into, and analysis of, the voluntary and community sector. It campaigns on issues affecting the whole of the voluntary and community sector, such as the role of voluntary and community organisations in public service delivery and the future of local government. It provides information, advice and support to other organisations and individuals working in or with the voluntary and community sector. Many now well-established voluntary organisations started out as projects within NCVO, including Age Concern, Citizens Advice, the Charities Aid Foundation, the Black Environment Network, the Youth Hostel Association and the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs.

In July 2019, NCVO's charity tax commission, chaired by Nicholas Montagu, issued a report calling for the overhaul of tax reliefs to UK charities. [4] [5]

History

NCVO started in 1919 as the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). NCSS was established in order to bring various voluntary bodies together and into closer relationships with government departments. Its foundation was made possible through a legacy from Edward Vivian Birchall, who had played a large part in the emergent voluntary sector before he was killed, aged 32, in France during the First World War. [6]

On 1 April 1980, just over 60 years since its foundation, the National Council of Social Service became the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.

On 1 January 2013, NCVO merged with Volunteering England (which itself had recently merged with Student Volunteering England). [7]

The organisation's first headquarters (from 1928 to 1992) were at 26 Bedford Square, London WC1.

Previous Presidents

Governance

NCVO's President, since November 2017, is Baroness Jill Pitkeathley. [8]

Dr Priya Singh is NCVO's Chair. [8]

In late January 2021, Karl Wilding, who had succeeded Sir Stuart Etherington as Chief Executive in 2020, was replaced by Sarah Vibert on an interim basis. [9] Sarah Vibert was appointed on a permanent basis in March 2022. Etherington had succeeded Judy Weleminsky in 1994.

Sister organisations

The equivalent infrastructure bodies for voluntary organisations in the other UK countries are:

Controversy

On 5 February 2021, the magazine Third Sector published details of an independent external review of the organisation's culture. [10] The review is reported to have found [11]

"evidence of 'bullying and harassment' on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation and disability happening 'with impunity' at all levels of the organisation, leaving members of minority groups there feeling 'unsafe at work'."

Following the revelations, NCVO announced a series of new strategic decisions including the closing of its searchable database for fundraisers, Funding Central. [12] Karl Wilding stepped down from the position of chief executive in February 2021, citing the need for new leadership to bring about systemic cultural change at the organisation. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Age Concern</span>

Age Concern is the banner title used by several charitable organizations (NGOs) specifically concerned with the needs and interests of all older people based chiefly in the four countries of the United Kingdom.

Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) is the national membership organisation for the third sector and volunteering in Wales. Its aim is to work towards 'A future where the third sector and volunteering thrive across Wales, improving wellbeing for all'.

ACEVO is a membership body for the leaders of third sector organisations in England and Wales. ACEVO has sister organisations in Scotland (ACOSVO) and Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action is the national infrastructure body for the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland. NICVA also hosts and manages several websites for Northern Ireland's voluntary and community sector online.

The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity based in London, England, that promotes literacy.

The ICT Hub was a project in the UK that aimed to support voluntary and community-based organisations in England with their technology needs. It was set up in 2005 and closed in 2008. The Hub worked to create sustainable environment whereby charities and community groups can benefit from the use of information and communications technology (ICT).

BingoLotto is a hybrid lottery-bingo style gameshow based on the Swedish show of the same name, Bingolotto. Each week, viewers with a valid gamecard had a 1 in 9.5 chance of winning. However, unlike the National Lottery, prizes would be life-enhancing, rather than life-changing. In other words, prizes were "small," varying from more game-cards to the maximum cash prize of £100,000. The game cards were printed in Sweden by "Idrottens Digital Print".

NAVCA is the national membership body for local support and development organisations in England. It is a registered charity (1001635), based in Sheffield, and was previously called the National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service (NACVS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muslim Charities Forum</span>

The Muslim Charities Forum (MCF) is an umbrella organisation for UK based Muslim-led charities whose primary goal is to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable people around the world. It is also an associate member of British Overseas NGOs for Development (Bond), the UK membership body for non-government organisations and a member of National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), an organisation with 11,000 members that champions the voluntary sector and volunteering.

Age NI is a registered charity in Northern Ireland, formed in April 2009, which combines the operations of the previously separate charities Age Concern NI and Help the Aged in Northern Ireland to form Northern Ireland's largest charity for older people. The charity operated under its original charity names as "Age Concern NI and Help the Aged in Northern Ireland" until the new brand launch on 26 March 2010. It also works interdependently with charities for the nations called Age Cymru, Age Scotland and Age UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Council of Social Service</span>

The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Social and Family Development of the Government of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charitable incorporated organisation</span>

A charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) is a corporate form of business designed for charitable organisations in England and Wales. A similar form, with minor differences, exists for Scottish charities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Council for Voluntary Youth Services</span>

The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) was a membership network of over 200 voluntary and community organisations, as well as local and regional networks, that work with and for young people across England. The organisation closed in 2016. For 80 years, NCVYS acted as an independent voice of the voluntary and community youth sector, working to inform and influence public policy, supporting members to improve the quality of their work, and also raising the profile of the voluntary and community sector's work with young people.

The Fundraising Regulator is the independent regulator of charitable fundraising in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart Etherington</span>

Sir Stuart James Etherington is a British charity executive and former social worker. From 1994 to 2020, he was chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, with the membership base increasing from 400 to over 14,000. He was previously the chief executive of the Royal National Institute for Deaf People. He received a knighthood in 2010 in recognition of his work for the voluntary and community sectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Leaman</span> Royal Navy Rear Admiral (born 1956)

Rear Admiral Richard Derek Leaman, is a British charity executive and former senior Royal Navy officer. Since 2021, he has been Diocesan Secretary and CEO of the Diocese of Bristol. He was previously CEO of The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and CEO of the Tall Ships Youth Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Association of Guernsey Charities</span> Umbrella organization

The Association of Guernsey Charities is the umbrella organisation that represents the voluntary and charitable sector in the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

Winifred Letitia Tumim, Lady Tumim was an English charity administrator and reform campaigner. As chairperson of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) from 1985 to 1992, she led a reform of its management to create clear duties for all the staff. Tumim worked with the Charity Commission for England and Wales and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) to research attitude and performance in the charity world's wider managerial sector. She was chairperson of the NCVO between 1996 and 2001, writing a report advocating for the reform of charity law, which led the Blair ministry to pass the Charities Act 2006. After Tumim's death. the NCVO created an award in her name to reward an improvement in charity governance.

Sarah Elizabeth Vibert is the chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), based in London, England. She was appointed to the post in March 2022, having held it on an interim basis since January 2021. She has been a member of NCVO's staff since 2020 and was previously CEO of the Neurological Alliance.

Karl Wilding is a lecturer in philanthropic studies at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England. He was chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) from 2019 until 2021, when he was succeeded by Sarah Vibert.

References

  1. 1 2 "About Us: NCVO membership". NCVO. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Charity overview". Charity Commission for England and Wales . Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  3. ↑ "NCVO Strategy 2014–19". About Us. NCVO. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  4. ↑ Preston, Rob (17 July 2019). "Charity tax reliefs in need of 'urgent overhaul', says NCVO commission". Civil Society. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  5. ↑ McLoughlin, Beth (17 July 2019). "Charity tax reforms could unlock a wave of giving". Accountancy Age. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  6. ↑ "History". NCVO. Archived from the original on 27 January 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "Volunteering England trustees named for NCVO merger" (Press release). NCVO. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Our governance". NCVO. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  9. ↑ "Statements from Karl Wilding, chief executive, and Priya Singh, chair of trustees" (Press release). National Council for Voluntary Organisations. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  10. ↑ Cooney, Rebecca (5 February 2021). "Bullying and harassment took place 'with impunity' at all levels of the NCVO, report concludes". Third Sector . Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  11. 1 2 Ricketts, Andy (26 January 2021). "Karl Wilding steps down as chief executive of the NCVO". Third Sector . Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  12. ↑ May, Melanie (2 February 2021). "NCVO's Funding Central to close end of March". UK Fundraising. Retrieved 4 April 2021.

Further reading


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.