Latest Third Sector Trends survey now open

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The Community Foundation is calling on charities and community organisations across North East England to fill in the recently launched Third Sector Trends survey. The next round of Third Sector Trends research will explore the impact of covid and how charities use their energies to tackle key priorities in the region. In order to do that it needs to collect as much data as possible. 

Third Sector Trends is the longest running study of the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector in the UK. In North East England, where the study began, baseline studies were completed in 2008. Regular surveys have taken place since 2010. With support from a range of other funders the research expanded across the North of England and in 2019 produced a report covering the whole of the UK.

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What evidence does the study collect? 

The survey has a core set of questions which never change to ensure comparability. But in each round of the research, there is space to explore contemporary issues. The 2022 survey has, for example, specific focus on the following issues: 

1. The extent to which the Covid pandemic has reshaped and refocused VCSE sector activity. 
2. The positive role the VCSE sector can play in ‘levelling up’, ‘localism’ and ‘community wealth building’ agendas. 
3. The contribution the VCSE sector can make to public health and, specifically, healthy life expectancy. 
4. How the VCSE helps to secure economic and social wellbeing in localities. 

How are the findings used? 

The study is widely used by charitable funders, local authorities, combined authorities, NHS partnerships and VCSE infrastructure organisations in their strategic work and policy formulation. You can see an example of the full set of findings from the 2019 study here.

It has also been possible to do in-depth work on aspects of sector structure and activity which has previously been neglected. Including, for example, issues associated with diversity in sector leadership and the ties between charitable funders and the VCSE sector.

The survey should only take about 10 minutes to fill in.

To fill in the survey please click here

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