“ACEVO recommends” initially began as a weekly thread on Twitter, curating noteworthy resources, content, and events pertinent to leaders within the sector. These insightful recommendations have transitioned to a monthly format, now accessible through the ACEVO blog.
Tethered fortunes: the threat to charities from trouble in local government
ProBono Economics has published the latest VCSE Barometer Survey report. You can also access the dashboard which incorporates the data collected in the January/February survey.
The true cost of delivering public services
NCVO has also published a report to raise awareness of the negative impact government funding decisions are having on voluntary organisations and their communities.
Making it stick: the UK four-day week pilot one year on
One year on from the results of the world’s biggest ever four-day working week pilot which took place in the UK in 2022, companies that took part have reported significant and lasting success. The report offers new insight into the effects of a four-day week on workers over the longer term, as well as into the strategies used by organisations to fit shorter working hours to their particular circumstances.
State of the sector 2024: ready for a reset
State of the Sector is a robust, sampled survey of charity leaders’ opinion that NPC has been running since 2017, and this is the third iteration allowing us to look at ‘distance travelled’ across a range of metrics.
The research findings highlight a range of issues the sector and the people who need their support are facing, including risks to public services and high needs exacerbated by regional inequalities in charity support. However, it also highlights support from the sector, and a willingness from the public, for government to take action alongside the voluntary sector to begin to tackle these problems.
Working Families benchmark is open for entries
The Working Families benchmark is a tool for employers striving to be leaders in family-friendly working. As the world of work becomes ever-more flexible, it is important to know if what you’re doing is working, and what best practice family-friendly working looks like. By evaluating your policies and practices, the Benchmark recognises the progressive measures in place and suggests opportunities to develop further, to enable your workforce to thrive and to help you attract the best talent. Register your interest.
Putting carers on the map
Carers UK has shared the theme for Carers Week 2024, which is “Putting Carers on the Map”. Carers Week, taking place from 10 June – 16 June, is a UK-wide awareness campaign seeking to increase visibility for carers with decision makers, services, employers, communities, and businesses.
The new theme for 2024 aims to galvanize activity in a general election year, to highlight the increasing pressures carers and to campaign for much-needed recognition and support. This includes raising awareness about the challenges carers face which impact on their finances, employment, health and wellbeing and ensuring policymakers and politicians take steps to better support carers’ needs.
Barriers and enablers to board diversity in the heritage sector
Historic England commissioned Getting on Board to research barriers to diversifying boards in historic environment organisations. This qualitative research project spoke to individuals and focus groups, including current serving and potential trustees. Read the report.
In summary, this report found several key areas to work on to improve board diversity, including:
- A lack of knowledge on how to recruit diverse trustees
- Anxieties over “getting diversity wrong”, resulting in a lack of action
- A perceived lack of organisational capacity for diversity work, which is often not seen as a core responsibility
- Fixed views of the nature of heritage, the nature of boards, and the lack of flexibility or change in the processes and procedures of governance
