Professor Tony Chapman delivered a speech last night at the Community Foundation for Tyne and Wear and Northumberland at the Sage in Gateshead. His talk referred to early findings from the Northern Rock Foundation Third Sector Trends study which was part funded by the Community Foundation. Tony explained to the audience that it was now possible to show that the voluntary sector was starting to bounce back after a difficult period during the depths of the recession. Whilst a majority of organisations have maintained similar levels of income over last two years, some have lost out – but to a lesser extent than in 2010-12. And some organisations are still raising their overall level of income significantly.

But as Tony explained, it’s not all a matter of money. The sector was showing considerable signs of resilience, and flexibility to adapt to a new situation – and in many respects the sector was feeling more confident about itself. However, the sector is still heavily dependent on grants to do its work, while earning income from contracts was still a minority interest. Even those organisations which are involved in social enterprise activities still tend to rely on grants to a large extent – showing that this part of the social marketplace still needs support. After all, Professor Chapman commented, if it was possible to make a significant surplus without support – the private sector would already be operating in this domain.

It is important to remember that the smaller organisations and groups which dominate the sector continue to make a huge contribution to the social wellbeing of North East England and Cumbria, Professor Chapman argued, and that the relatively modest levels of grant support they receive helps them achieve a great deal entirely through their voluntary efforts. They may not achieve transformational change for their communities, but they make a real contribution to the social glue and social wellbeing. If they were not there to do such work, society would be much the worse without them and especially so in less affluent areas.

The website for Community Foundation Tyne and Wear and Northumberland can be found at this web address. A full set of reports from the Northern Rock Foundation Third Sector Trends Study can be found here. All reports are free to download.