Newcastle CVS Findings from the survey of members and non- members 2013

Transcription

1 Newcastle CVS Findings from the survey of members and non- members 2013 Executive summary September

2 1 1 About us Trapeze Consulting is a collaboration of highly experienced researchers, evaluators and consultants with backgrounds in the VCS, Local Government and NHS. We specialise in developing capacity in organisations and partnerships; as our name suggests we value agility, strength, movement and relationships of trust. This survey and analysis was undertaken by Neil Shashoua. Contact: neil@trapezeconsulting.co.uk 2 Terminology and format Throughout the survey and this report we use the term 'group' to cover organisation, charity, CIC, CIO, company, trust or other form of not for profit organisation. Quotes from survey responses are in italics. 3 Introduction This report contains the results of Trapeze Consulting s online survey, carried out in June 2013, of NCVS members and non- members to collect data and information to contribute to our independent evaluation of the organisation. To enable comparison over time, where desirable, a proportion of the survey questions were duplicates of those from NCVS s first survey of members and non- members, held in February last year. In some cases, duplication was not desirable. Questions which were additional to last year s were asked to enable us to assess the effectiveness of NCVS in a number of areas; as well as to find out what members and non- members value about the organisation. Over a three week period, 165 people from 138 organisations made time to respond to what was a longer survey than last year s (to which 92 people responded); a increase in response of 56%. In terms of members, there was an excellent response with just under 1 in 4 of NCVS s 555 members responding. Most of the non- members that responded were not eligible for membership due to them representing statutory organisations or ones that did not operate in Newcastle. There was a good range of sizes as well as types of groups from which responses came, showing that the survey results are sufficiently representative of the membership of NCVS. Figure 1, below, shows the proportion of responses received, by size of group.

3 2 Figure 1: Gross income of 2012 and 2013 survey respondents

4 3 4 Findings 4.1 Information services E- inform and Inform, NCVS s fortnightly e- bulletin and quarterly printed newsletter were both very highly rated; with 97% of respondents stating they found e- inform good or very good, and 80% giving the same ratings for Inform. The specialist newsletters for groups interested in health and wellbeing, and children & young people also rated well. NCVS s information on funding advice is the most used service 38% of responses reported using the information NCVS produces, collates and disseminates on available funding. A significant increase from last year was the increased awareness of NCVS s research reports, with more respondents reporting that they use them. 4.2 Group Support and Development Although, as last year, there was a high proportion of respondents who had not used these services in the previous 12 months, those that had rated then good or very good, with only single figure responses for the total number rating them poor or very poor. By far the most popular service is for funding information, advice and help; with over 60 users rating is as good or very good. This is also the service that most respondents, when asked if they would be willing to pay for a service, stated that this was the service they would pay for. Of those respondents that had not attended any NCVS training in the preceding 12 months, most had done so because the training on offer was not relevant to them. 4.3 Developing networks and involving organisations Although over half (57%) of respondents were not involved in any of NCVS s networks, of those that were, over three quarters felt that by them being involved it enabled the VCS to reflect issues important to the sector (77%), closely followed by the views that being involved informed them to know where the opportunities are to influence the statutory sector. 4.4 Representing and influencing Two thirds of the people who responded to a question on how effective NCVS was in delivering the outcomes in its strategic plan, felt that the organisation promoted the interests of the voluntary and community sector within Newcastle by influencing policy and strategy (66%). However, although many respondents went on to say that NCVS had been effective at influencing the statutory sector, a roughly equal number did not know whether this was the case or not. This may reflect the difficulty of ascribing the source of influencing of the statutory sector to NCVS and/or respondents view that the VCS has not influenced the statutory sector. However, the top description which respondents chose for NCVS was that it stands up for the voluntary and community sector, thereby showing the regard in which the organisation is held by over 80% of respondents.

5 4 4.5 The Compact As figure 2 shows, there was very little difference in the awareness of the Newcastle Compact between the 2012 and 2013 surveys; remaining around 60% of respondents who were aware of it. There was a negligible increase in the proportion of respondents that had actually used the Compact. Figure 2: Awareness of the Compact Most (51%) of the 63 respondents to this question did not know whether the Newcastle Compact had helped to improve relationships between the local voluntary and community sector and Newcastle City Council. The remaining responses were split, fairly evenly across the spectrum from not effective to very effective. This suggests that the Compact is not a prominent feature of the relationship between the VCS and the City Council. It will be interesting to see if this changes as a result of the revised Compact of July 2013.

6 5 4.6 Effectiveness at delivering its outcomes Figure 3, below, shows that the majority of respondents who expressed a view, felt that NCVS was effective or highly effective at delivering all of the outcomes in its strategic plan. a) Keeping your group informed about local strategies, policies and partnerships (79%) b) Providing information, briefings and events on key policy issues (81%) c) Promoting and supporting active partnership working between the voluntary and community sector and other sectors, such as the local authority and health (59%) d) Developing and engaging in networks to promote the role of voluntary and social action and encourage active participation, e.g. through CHYP In and Wellbeing and Health Open Forums (56%) e) Promoting the interests of the voluntary and community sector within Newcastle by influencing policy and strategy (66%) f) Promoting the interests of the voluntary and community sector within Newcastle by articulating the voluntary and community offer (72%) g) Identifying needs and gaps within the provision of support to the sector, and meeting those needs (52%) Figure 3: Effectiveness at delivery of its desired outcomes You can also see the variation of views in figure 3, showing that respondents felt the outcomes related to information were ones at which NCVS was most effective at delivering. These were also the outcomes which had the fewest number of don t knows (only 6%) demonstrating that these were the areas which respondents felt most confident about answering.

7 6 Identifying and meeting needs and gaps within the provision of support to the sector was the outcome about which respondents felt NCVS was least effective, although more than half thought NCVS effective or very effective at this. 4.7 What respondents value about NCVS As figure 4 shows, the organisation was rated highly by most respondents for being trustworthy, with 89% of respondents to that question valuing it and valuing it highly. This was closely followed by NCVS being valued for the knowledge of its staff. Figure 4: What do you value about NCVS?

8 7 4.8 Issues affecting organisations and their beneficiaries Issues around funding and sustainability dominated the responses. Rising costs, reduced staffing, and increased demands from beneficiaries all come under this category, closely allied to concerns about new commissioners and arrangements. Finding and involving the right volunteers and trustees were also up there as a priority; smaller groups also reporting that their members were becoming less independent and less willing to take on the responsibilities of running a group. This list is very similar to that which came out of the 2012 survey, however this year s had an edge in terms of the impact of Welfare Reforms; the reduction of public spending on the poorest members of our society as a result of Government policy about how it is choosing to repay the national debt. Consequently there are a number of mentions of the need to keep the costs of services low or free so that people can still use them. This was mirrored in the list of issues that groups identified that are key for their service users or members in Poverty, finding work, supporting themselves and their families and doing so as some of the free and independent services they used were no longer available to them due to cuts in public services. Some commented on the stigma and demonisation of people living in poverty. For further details of the findings of this part of the survey, see Taking the Temperature - Summer 2013, NCVS s report to the Council s Voluntary Sector Liaison Group of 12 September Click here to take you to the relevant section of the NCVS website. 5 Conclusion We conclude that the survey demonstrates that NCVS is well respected for the quality of its information and for the support it gives groups to sustain and develop. Further that the organisation s research has gained visibility amongst its membership and wider. NCVS s bringing of groups together to network and involve themselves in key issues remains well regarded and effective, for those organisations that are able to and choose to be involved. There is a strongly held view amongst its membership that it stands up for the VCS and a perception that it influences the statutory sector. The organisation is valued for its trustworthiness and for the knowledge of its staff. In all, NCVS is more than the sum of its parts. There is evidence that the same groups use its Group Support and Development services and its networks and that they look on NCVS as an honest broker which they trust to represent their views.