Come along to the Aston-Mansfield conference on Tuesday 27 September if you want to hear NCIA folks and others get to grips with the urgent need for independent action.
Times are undoubtedly tough. Voluntary groups and community organisations are facing the most severe threat to the long-term sustainability of independent voluntary action in recent memory. … Continue reading
Andy Benson spots fake sincerity and voluntary sector window dressing in the Open Public Services White Paper
Having just read the government’s White Paper ‘Open Public Services’ I am reminded of two maxims. The first – ‘above all else people value sincerity; if you can fake that you’ve got it made’. This document is full … Continue reading
Read an update from NCIA’s planning group meeting for news of the campaigns we’re linking with, progress on our project work and how we can make a louder noise about independent voluntary action.
Sarah Lamb is a trustee of Adur Voluntary Action. She was one of the people who contributed to qualitative research in 2009 on The local state and voluntary action in West Sussex which showed the damage commissioning does. NCIA caught up with her to find out how things have been going over the last 18 … Continue reading
Our new paper has evidence about the dangers of commissioning, localism and ‘big society’, all part of the government’s privatisation agenda.
• Public service cuts are a political choice, not an inevitability.
• Creating competitive markets in the voluntary sector through commissioning damages services, users and staff and threatens independence.
• ‘Localism’ and ‘big society’ … Continue reading
Read our new guide and manifesto for managing for independence (4 pages PDF) for ideas about how to get talking, make power visible, organise and act, and get help when you need it. The guide is designed to help us remember that effective voluntary action can’t be reduced to targets and the latest management jargon … Continue reading
Underground networks, public relations battles, keeping sane through organising – these were some of the ideas from our last assembly meeting in Manchester on 12th May. We talked about how to tell our stories, link with other groups and campaigns and get resources in a climate of cuts, recession and political bombardment. Click here for … Continue reading
Listen to a podcast of NCIA’s Andy Benson speaking about whether there’s enough power to go around in the voluntary and community sector at the ARVAC annual lecture on 9 May 2011. You can also download a transcript of Andy’s presentation (Word, 6 pages) and the presentation slides (Powerpoint).… Continue reading
Read our two new papers if you want to get thinking about what privatisation means for charities and community groups and how the ‘big society’ and localism damage independent action.
Big market: how localism and the ‘big society’ damage independent voluntary action (2011) PDF, 4 pages
Voluntary action under threat: what privatisation means for charities … Continue reading
Cuts, privatising public services, commissioning replacing grants, voluntary agencies being run like businesses, managers who don’t understand the front line work, nonsensical targets… If you’re feeling angry, you’re not alone! Join us at the next NCIA assembly in Manchester on Thursday 12 May 2011 to discuss issues affecting you. Book now.
NICA assembly
Thursday … Continue reading