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Survey seeks third sector views on the support they receive locally

The quality of support for the third sector in every local area in England is to be measured by a new survey of the sector. The Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office is to ask third sector organisations to share their experiences. This will help give local government the information it needs to ensure an environment for a thriving third sector, and meet new performance targets.

From 22 September, 104,000 charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises will receive the National Survey of Third Sector Organisations (NSTSO) questionnaire from Ipsos MORI. This will be the biggest ever survey of the sector and will ask about local and national funding relationships, advice and support services and the state of relations with local government.

The survey will aim to:

• build a picture of the effectiveness of partnership working between the third sector and local authorities in England and set the baseline from which progress will be measured in 2010
• enable third sector organisations to have their voice heard on what their local operating environment is like
• help local areas to do better in supporting the third sector by providing the information with which to evaluate their progress and identify key areas for improvement
• provide national government and researchers an unrivalled picture of the local third sector and what affects its success.

Phil Hope, Minister for the Third Sector, said

“This survey is absolutely crucial to ensuring charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises get the support they need to help them thrive.

“I urge all those organisations who receive this questionnaire directly to respond to ensure their voice is heard. This is their opportunity to tell us about their local working environment and the support they receive from government.

“It is essential we build an evidence base to ensure our priorities in years to come match those of third sector organisations themselves.”

Ben Marshall, Research Director at Ipsos MORI, said:

“The value of this survey hinges on the third sector’s engagement with it. If this survey is to make a difference we need as many organisations to take part as possible. This will ensure the survey is statistically robust and that it provides a strong baseline for future work in 2010."

Survey questionnaires will be sent to organisations drawn from available registers of third sector organisations provided by BMG Research and GuideStar Data Services.

Headline findings from the survey will be released in Jan 2009 with further analysis and full publications scheduled for Spring 2009. The second wave of the survey will then take place in Autumn 2010.

Further information about the survey and National Indicator 7 can be found on the NSTSO website.

• NSTSO website [external website]
• National Indicator 7 background
• Ipsos MORI [external website]