New report calls for greater government and business support for NI Ireland civil society and voluntary/community organisations

The Commission has investigated the nature and drivers of the challenges facing civil society and the opportunities which are currently out of its grasp, which could deliver real change. Their report sets out detailed recommendations under five key areas which together would unleash the full potential of civil society over the 2020s and beyond -

• Building productivity and organisational effectiveness – to ensure  voluntary and community organisations have the resources, skills, technology, properly rewarded staff, and volunteers to deliver for society
• Creating timely, accessible data and robust evidence about the sector -  to inform good decision-making among funders and policymakers
• Improving the scale, distribution and impact of funding for the sector - prioritising a shift to longer-term, more flexible funding; investing in building charities’ capabilities; and streamlined application and reporting processes.
• Bringing businesses and civil society together – to build substantive partnerships to reach common goals and unlock an estimated additional £31 million to support social purposes
• Strengthening relationships with policymakers – to give policymakers a stronger understanding of sector organisations and sector organisations a greater understanding of the policymaking process, advancing the charitable goals of the latter and improving government funding approaches.

Read the full report here