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Eliza Buckley is a Senior Research and Communications Officer at the Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR). Her primary research focuses on the practices of trusts and foundations. Eliza is currently coordinating IVAR's 'Beyond Money' study and managing the 'Recession Watch' research. 'Recession Watch' produced 'Duty of care: the role of trusts and foundations in supporting the voluntary organisations during difficult times'. Eliza also oversees IVAR's strategic support work to small voluntary organisations. Her other responsibilities include IVAR's communications and dissemination activity to practitioners, funders, infrastructure bodies and policy makers. She most recently coordinated the publication of 'Turning a corner: Transition in the voluntary sector 2012 - 2013.' VAL was delighted to welcome Eliza as a keynote speaker at our 2013 Future Focus Conference. While the 2013 Future Focus conference is now over, VAL runs trainings and workshops year-round. If you'd like to learn more about training for your organisation, visit www.Valoneline.org.uk.
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Eliza Buckley
Institute for Voluntary Action Research
Helping voluntary organisations to thrive during transition
Introduction
Overview of IVAR’s research 2012-2013 with nearly 300 voluntary organisations, 50 senior representatives from public and statutory agencies and 16 charitable trusts
Majority of voluntary organisations small to medium in size and working within the field of social welfare
No simple answers but several themes that give some clues about how to navigate through difficult times in order to meet the needs of beneficiaries
Challenges
Lack of funding – unsurprising! However, reality is more complex… Current environment is fluid and continually changing and survival
means being able to adapt to new and shifting sets of circumstances.
From this four main challenges arise:
Feeling ‘caught in the headlights’ – high levels of anxiety / helplessness
The need to work with others – collaborations, partnerships, sharing The importance of institutional memory and a robust attitude to
change Being open to all the options – including closure
What helps organisations to thrive?
Combination of characteristics (internal) and support (external):
Using mission as a ‘live’ tool Understanding your organisation’s place in the landscape Utilising support – particularly the role of external stakeholders or
providers who can play a ‘critical friend’ Flexible funding that helps you to respond to the changing context in
a way that holds beneficiaries at the forefront. Bespoke support that is tailored to context, flexible enough to
respond to changing needs and circumstances, and imaginative enough to consider an organisation in the round.
What might these findings mean for funders?
Investment in voluntary organisations (in its fullest sense) seems more likely to succeed when it takes account of the knowledge and insight of those who are closest to beneficiaries and understand their contexts best.
Consideration of collaborative partnerships that bring a wide range of players together to focus on a particular need – for example the Building Health Partnerships programme
Developing relationships that move beyond the contractual - to value on the contribution each partner brings: the knowledge of context and needs that the funded organisation possesses and the resources, overview and convening power of the funder.
Final comment
The importance of mission as a live tool that forms the
foundation of an organisation and can underpin the
development and success of partnerships and funding
relationships.
