Research Bank

A library of research publications and resources about the Voluntary and Community sector. This page will be updated with new research on a regular basis. Please contact Rachel Shannon if you would like a research publication added to the bank.

Profile of the Voluntary, Community, Social Enterprise and Charitable Sector 

Title Organisation Year of publication Aims/ Description of Research Link State of the Sector

Updated on a rolling basis

State of the Sector aims to describe the size, scope and work on the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland. The key sections include: profile, workforce, volunteering, giving, future issues and income and expenditure.   Click here NCVO's Almanac  2017 The UK Civil Society Almanac, published annually by NCVO,  is the definitive reference publication for anybody interested in the UK voluntary sector, and its role in civil society.  Click here Benefacts Non Profit Sector Analysis 2017 This research is drawn from the database of Irish Nonprofits developed by Benefacts. The report covers income, funding, workforce, donations and fundraising in the Irish nonprofit sector. Click here Thematic report: the growing Northern Ireland register of charities 2016 Following the introduction of compulsory charity registration in December 2013 in Northern Ireland, this report provides an analysis of information held on organisations that have been successfully registered since then. Click here   Third Sector Statistical Resource 2016 This resource provides a snapshot of the voluntary sector in Wales by bringing together a wide range of sources into a short summary. The information is drawn from primary research carried out by WCVA (Wales Council for Voluntary Action) and publicly available research findings. Click here Charity Pulse- Staff Satisfaction 2007-2016 An annual voluntary sector-wide staff satisfaction survey which measures staff satisfaction in the UK charitable sector. The aim of the research is to build up a picture of working life in charities and help to raise the standard of people management in the sector. Click here SCVO Scottish Third Sector Statistics

2014/2015

2013/2014

Key statistics about the Scottish Third Sector Click here SCVO Workforce Survey 2015

This research briefing presents findings from SCVO's (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) most recent workforce survey. The survey targeted employees in the Scottish VCSE sector and explored job satisfaction.

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Public Trust in the Voluntary, Community, Social Enterprise and Charitable Sector

Title Organisation Year of publication Aims/ Description of Research Link Public Trust and Confidence in Charities 2016 The research tracked the public’s attitude to charities in Northern Ireland, including what influences trust levels and what people know about charity regulation Click here Public Perception of Charities: A tale of two datasets 2015 This analysis combines and explores similarities between two overlapping datasets which explored the public's trust in institutions. Click here Public Perceptions of Charities 2014 NICVA commissioned Ipsos MORI to undertake a survey which explored the public's perceptions of charities in Northern Ireland. Click here Public Trust and Confidence in Charities 2014 Presents findings of the 2014 Charity Commission for England and Wales study into public trust and confidence in charities. Click here Mind the gap: what the public thinks about charities 2014 Explores whether attacks on charities from politicians and the media have adversely affected the public's attitude to the sector. Click here

 

Charitable Giving

Title Organisation Year of publication Aims/ Description of Research Link Individual Giving Survey 2016 2017 NICVA's Individual Giving survey explores charitable giving in Northern Ireland. Different aspects of giving are explored including amount donated, causes donated to, social media giving and legacy giving. Click here UK Giving Study 2016 2017 This longitudinal study has tracked giving in the UK since 2004. It explores areas such as causes people give to, amount donated, and the types of charitable and social action people participate in.  Click here CAF World Giving Index 2016 2016 This index provides insight into the scope and nature of giving around the world. The report explores three aspects of giving behaviour including: helping a stranger, donating money to charity and volunteering time to an organisation. Click here Charity giving over Christmas survey 2013 This report aims to understand patterns and behaviours around charitable giving at Christmas in Northern Ireland. Click here  

Impact of the Voluntary, Community, Social Enterprise and Charitable Sector

Title Organisation Year of publication Aims/ Description of Research Link Charity Street 2016 This research aims to gain an insight into the way households and individuals use charitable services and the publics awareness of charitable services. Click here Under the Microscope: Examining the future of charities in Britain 2015 This research explores attitudes towards charities held by MPs and voters. Click here Charity Street 2014 This report aims to identify how different types of household benefit from charities in terms of support they receive. The report also aims to place an aggregate monetary value on the impact of these charitable services on different types of households.  Click here

 

Volunteering 

Title Organisation Year of publication Aims/ Description of Research Link

Volunteering in Northern Ireland Research Report

2017

This publication presents the results of the Volunteering Module in the October – November 2016 Omnibus Survey. The main themes explored in the survey include levels of volunteering, support for volunteers and reasons for not undertaking volunteering roles. 

Click here Volunteering in Northern Ireland Research Report 2016

This publication presents the results of the Volunteering Module in the September/October 2015 Omnibus Survey. The main themes explored in the survey include levels of volunteering, support for volunteers and reasons for not undertaking volunteering roles. 

Click here Giving Leadership, Giving Time 2015 This research explores governance volunteers, including their profile, satisfaction levels and policies and procedures.   Click here

 

Local Research Projects

Title Organisation Year of publication Aims/ Description of Research Link

Interface Barriers, Peacelines and Defensive Architecture

2017

The report documents all the security barriers, peacelines and other forms of defensive architecture that have currently been identified in urban areas of Northern Ireland. 

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Involving Everyone: Including ‘easy to ignore’ groups in housing policy and strategy development in Northern Ireland

2015

Assess and make recommendations for the greater involvement of ‘easy to ignore’ groups in housing policy and strategy development in NI, with particular emphasis on engagement with the Social Housing Reform Programme.

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The Hidden Costs of Private Renting in Northern Ireland 

2013

An Investigation into the Practice of Letting Charges The Hidden Costs of Private Renting in Northern Ireland- an Investigation Into The Practice of Letting Charges

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Research Guides/ Toolkits

Title Organisation Year of publication Aims/ Description of Research Link

A Guide to Peer Research with Young People

2017

Written in partnership with peer researchers and academic researchers to share experiences of the benefits and challenges of a peer research approach to a three year study of the transitions of care leavers with mental health and/or learning disabilities in Northern Ireland.

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Using Research Evidence: A Practice Guide

2016

The guide is designed to help readers develop knowledge on evidence-informed decision-making. The guide also advises on different types of evidence, how to choose the most appropriate evidence for different scenarios and how to judge the quality of evidence. 

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Hubs

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