The Value of Small - latest research findings published

The Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership and colleagues at Sheffield Hallam University and the Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR) launched their recently completed research at a high profile London event at the beginning of Small Charities Week. On 18 June 2019, at an event in Westminster hosted by the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, they launched the final research report into the distinctive contribution and value of small and medium-sized charities operating at a local level in England.

This 18-month project was funded by the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales and involved intensive qualitative research in four locations in England and Wales. The research helped inform, and was launched alongside, the foundation's ‘Reaching Further’ strategy for 2018-2022.

The research found that smaller charities make a distinctive contribution through what they do and with whom, how they carry out their work, and that they occupy a distinctive position within a wider ecosystem of provision. They produce social value at the individual level, they produce economic value for the economy and public services, and they promote added value through for example levering in volunteering and diverse funding. Finally, the research identified challenges particularly in the funding and commissioning environment which hinders the work of smaller charities and stifles their potential contribution.

CVSL researchers James Rees, Vita Terry and Carol Jacklin-Jarvis led on research in North Nottinghamshire, and they recently presented interim findings at a departmental seminar.

Small and medium-sized charities (SMCs) - whose annual income falls between £10,000 and £1 million - are a vital part of everyday life in communities across England and Wales. Most SMCs are based and operate at a local level and include a wide range of voluntary, community, social enterprise and civil society organisations. Previous research has provided evidence in favour of sustaining a vibrant and healthy population of local SMCs but there is very little robust evidence about what is distinctive and valuable about them relative to larger charities and public sector bodies. Addressing that gap is important because SMCs are more likely to be adversely affected by cuts to public sector budgets and approaches to commissioning and procurement that favour economies of scale over more tailored and responsive approaches.

The research focussed on identifying the distinctive contribution and value of SMCs operating at a local level in England and Wales, and understanding the funding challenges they face. It involved four in-depth area level qualitative case studies - in Bassetlaw, Ealing, Salford and Wrexham - contextualised through original analysis of existing quantitative data on the population of general charities. Overall, more than 150 people participated in the research through a series of workshops and interviews at an area and organisational level. Participants included paid staff, volunteers, trustees and service users representing SMCs, the wider voluntary sector, and the public sector.

Download The Value of Small report