England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It is a registered charity (no 225922). NCVO works to support the voluntary and community sector and to create an environment in which an independent
civil society
Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere. These range from large national bodies to community groups, volunteer centres, and development agencies working at a local level.
Location
NCVO's headquarters are in the
King's Cross, London
Kings Cross is a district on either side of Euston Road, in north London, England, north of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Barnsbury to the north, Clerkenwell and Islington to the east, Holborn to the south and Euston to the west. It is ...
area at Society Building, 8 All Saints Street, London N1 9RL.
Aims
NCVO aims to:
* champion volunteering and the voluntary sector
* strengthen voluntary organisations
* grow and enhance volunteering, wherever it takes place
* connect people and organisations
* be a sustainable and socially responsible organisation
Activity
NCVO represents the views of its members, and the wider voluntary sector to government, the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
and other bodies. It carries out research into, and analysis of, the voluntary and community sector. It campaigns on issues affecting the whole of the voluntary and community sector, such as the role of voluntary and community organisations in public service delivery and the future of local government. It provides information, advice and support to other organisations and individuals working in or with the voluntary and community sector.
Many now well-established voluntary organisations started out as projects within NCVO, including
Age Concern
Age Concern is the banner title used by a number of Charitable organization, charitable organizations (NGOs) specifically concerned with the needs and interests of all older people (defined as those over the age of 50) based chiefly in the four cou ...
,
Citizens Advice
Citizens AdviceCitizens Advice is the operating name of The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux which is the umbrella charity for a wider network of local advice centres. The abbreviation CitA is sometimes used to refer to this nation ...
, the
Charities Aid Foundation
The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is a registered UK charity that operates in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Canada. It works with companies, private philanthropists, regular donors, fellow foundations, governments, cha ...
, the Black Environment Network, the
Youth Hostel Association
Hostelling International (HI), formerly known as International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF), is a grouping of more than seventy National Youth Hostel Associations in over eighty countries, with over 4,000 affiliated hostels around the worl ...
and the
National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs
The National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs (NFYFC) is a rural youth organisation in the United Kingdom. The Federation covers various Young Farmers' Clubs (YFCs) throughout England and Wales, helping support young people in agriculture and th ...
.
In July 2019, NCVO's charity tax commission, chaired by Nicholas Montagu, issued a report calling for the overhaul of tax reliefs to UK charities.
History
NCVO started in 1919 as the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). NCSS was established in order to bring various voluntary bodies together and into closer relationships with government departments. Its foundation was made possible through a legacy from Edward Vivian Birchall, who had played a large part in the emergent voluntary sector before he was killed, aged 32, in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
during the First World War.
On 1 April 1980, just over 60 years since its foundation, the National Council of Social Service became the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.
On 1 January 2013, NCVO merged with Volunteering England (which itself had recently merged with Student Volunteering England).
The organisation's first headquarters (from 1928 to 1992) were at 26
Bedford Square
Bedford Square is a garden square in the Bloomsbury district of the Borough of Camden in London, England.
History
Built between 1775 and 1783 as an upper middle class residential area, the square has had many distinguished residents, inclu ...
, London WC1.
Previous Presidents
*1919–1921: The
Rt Hon
''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...
the
Viscount Ullswater
Viscount Ullswater, of Campsea Ashe in the County of Suffolk, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1921 for James Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater, James Lowther upon his retirement as Speaker of the House of Commons ...
Viscount Bledisloe
Viscount Bledisloe, of Lydney in the County of Gloucestershire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1935 for the Conservative politician Charles Bathurst, 1st Baron Bledisloe, upon his retirement as Governor-Gen ...
PC
GCMG
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III.
It is named in honour ...
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
*1939–1951: Sir
Percy Malcolm Stewart
Sir Percy Malcolm Stewart, 1st Baronet (9 May 1872 – 27 February 1951), was an English industrialist and philanthropist. He incorporated The London Brick Company in the 1920s which was at the time reputed to be the largest brick making compa ...
Bart
Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc.
Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Barthol ...
Earl of Halifax
Earl of Halifax is a title that has been created four times in British history—once in the Peerage of England, twice in the Peerage of Great Britain, and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The name of the peerage refers to Halifax, We ...
GCSI
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:
# Knight Grand Commander (GCSI)
# Knight Commander ( KCSI)
# Companion ( CSI)
No appointments ...
GCIE
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:
#Knight Grand Commander (GCIE)
#Knight Commander ( KCIE)
#Companion ( CIE)
No appoi ...
GCVO
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...
*1964–1969: The Rt Hon the Lord Hayworth
*1969–1973: His Royal Highness the
Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produc ...
NCVO's President, since November 2017, is Baroness Jill Pitkeathley.
Dr Priya Singh is NCVO's interim Chair.
In late January 2021, Karl Wilding, who had succeeded Sir Stuart Etherington as Chief Executive in 2020, was replaced by Sarah Vibert on an interim basis. Etherington had succeeded Judy Weleminsky in 1994.
Sister organisations
The equivalent infrastructure bodies for voluntary organisations in the other UK countries are:
*
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
Wales Council for Voluntary Action
Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) ( Welsh: ''Cyngor Gweithredu Gwirfoddol Cymru'') is the national membership organisation for the third sector and volunteering in Wales. Its aim is to work towards 'A future where the third sector and volu ...
*
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership body for Scotland’s charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. SCVO works to support people to take voluntary action to help themselves and other ...
*
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action
Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action is the national infrastructure body for the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland. NICVA also hosts and manages several websites for Northern Ireland's voluntary and community sector online ...
Controversy
On 5 February 2021, the magazine '' Third Sector'' published details of an independent external review of the organisation's culture. The review is reported to have foundFollowing the revelations, NCVO announced a spate of new strategic decisions including the closing of its searchable database for fundraisers, Funding Central. Karl Wilding stepped down from the position of CEO in February 2021, citing the need for new leadership to bring about systemic cultural change at the organisation.
References
Further reading
* Coles, Kay (1993). ''National Council for Voluntary Organisations from 1919 to 1993: A Selective Summary of NCVO's Work and Origins'', London: NCVO Publications. .