Commenting on the NHS procurement regulations to be debated in the Lords next week, and on the British Medical Association's call for the regulations to be "replaced", Sir Stephen Bubb,CEO of ACEVO said:

“These regulations will enable charities to do more in partnership with the NHS, not less, and the result will be better services for NHS patients. The regulations should be passed, without falling victim to another political slanging match, so that NHS commissioners and charities can get on with the job of improving the health services made available to the public.”

The ACEVO Governance Commission would like to hear the views and experiences of the sector through its consultation exercise. This includes an online survey and a series of consultation sessions across the country in May 2013. For more information and links to the survey and event booking information, see here

The ACEVO Taskforce on Prevention in Health has released its report: The Prevention Revolution: Transforming health and social care. The report calls for a radical shift away from reactive, hospital-based care towards greater use of preventative services to keep people healthy and allow them to manage their conditions at home and in the community.

The taskforce, which was chaired by former Department of Health permanent secretary Sir Hugh Taylor, makes a number of recommendations aimed at creating the conditions to enable this change to occur. The report warns that failure to embrace this agenda could bring health and social care services to "breaking point", due to flatlining budgets and the impact of demographic and lifestyle change.

Download a copy of the full report here.

Today Google launched the Global Impact Challenge. Over the past few months ACEVO has been working very closely with Google and think that this game-changing award will celebrate the innovative work happening within the sector. So we are inviting charities and voluntary organisations to showcase how they would use technology to transform the lives of their beneficiaries. The top four entries of the competition will each receive £500,000 and support to help their project become a reality. A team at Google will announce 10 finalists in mid-May and the public will be invited to vote and donate to their favourite project.

The prestigious panel judging the finalists will be inventor of the Internet Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Mogul Sir Richard Branson and founder and CEO of Forster Communications Jilly Forster. It’s thrilling to know how similar Google and ACEVO’s approach is in celebrating innovation - I feel that this is the start of a great corporate friendship.

Applications opened today so apply here http://globalimpactchallenge.withgoogle.com for your chance win.

By committing to introduce tax incentives for social investment, the chancellor has delivered a diamond in the rough of ongoing painful spending cuts.

The further cuts will hurt, and it is essential that the government works with charities to deliver services differently rather than attempting to do the same with less. Our sector must be a participant, not an audience, to the upcoming spending review and the big decisions on welfare and spending.

But social investment could help charity leaders achieve more against their ambitions, and the Chancellor's proposed tax incentives are a welcome step forward. ACEVO looks forward to working with the government on the details of this scheme over the coming months.

Read ACEVO's summary on Budget 2013

Dear George,

I write regarding the forthcoming Budget announcement. As you are aware, the voluntary sector has had a challenging year financially, although it continues to work with a huge range of beneficiaries all over the country. I am writing to urge you to consider the needs of the voluntary sector and its beneficiaries, particularly those from vulnerable groups, when setting priorities for the 2013 Budget.

I believe it is essential that the most vulnerable in society, who have already been disproportionately affected by the effects of the global economic slowdown and subsequent austerity measures, should be protected from the impact of any further cuts. ACEVO’s members often tell me that they are experiencing an increase in demand for the services they provide to disadvantaged groups, at a time when the sector is adapting to a constrained financial environment; there is a real risk that additional cuts would put extra strain on already-squeezed services. Further significant cuts to welfare budgets or local authority budgets, for example, would have a damaging effect on disadvantaged groups. We must avoid placing the burden of deficit reduction on those least able to bear it.

In addition, I hope that any further cuts to public services are accompanied by a renewed focus on reform. If we simply try to deliver services in the same way as before, but with smaller budgets, vulnerable service users will undoubtedly be adversely affected. In order to mitigate the impact of spending restraint, we need new approaches and new providers. ‘More of the same’ is not an option. The Government continues to make progress in this area; for example, the recent initiative by the Ministry of Justice to reform rehabilitation services is very welcome. However, there is still more that could be done, in particular to ensure that public services can benefit from the innovation and energy of voluntary sector providers, as part of a diverse provider market. Further funding for capacity building and contract readiness would strengthen the sector’s ability to engage with programmes of reform such as the Rehabilitation Revolution initiative.

I hope that you will also consider further measures to support the voluntary sector’s efforts to diversify income streams and access financial investment in these straitened times. I welcomed your announcement in last year’s budget of an internal Treasury review into barriers to social enterprise, and I hope that this will bear fruition with some concrete measures to strengthen the social investment market. I was also glad to see the Treasury open a consultation earlier this year into payroll giving- an important system, the potential of which has not yet been realised. The voluntary sector is currently adapting to a much-changed financial environment, and any support the government can provide would go a long way to help charities and their beneficiaries.

Finally, any measures aimed at encouraging economic growth should recognise the economic contribution made by the voluntary sector. Often, initiatives aimed at encouraging enterprise and growth have tended to be targeted at the private sector alone- for example, the Small Business Bank initiative announced last year. Yet the voluntary sector is estimated to add £11.7 billion to UK GDP- a contribution that is too often overlooked. I hope that further measures in this area will include voluntary organisations as well as those from the private sector.

Kind regards,

Sir Stephen Bubb
CEO, ACEVO

With the Social Value Act 2012 coming into force at the start of February, ACEVO CEO Sir Stephen Bubb and Social Enterprise UK CEO Peter Holbrook wrote jointly to the chief executives of the NHS Commissioning Board and Monitor, asking them to ensure that both organisations take the Act fully into account in their work with health commissioners. Read the letters here

In January ACEVO CEO Sir Stephen Bubb wrote to Prime Minister David Cameron to raise issues concerning the voluntary sector and its beneficiaries. Read the full letter here

ACEVO, with the Shaw Trust and the Careers Development Group, has launched an inquiry to examine and address the challenges that third sector Work Programme providers of all sizes and specialisms are likely to face over the next few years. For more information, please see here

As part of our recently launched Governance Commission, ACEVO is looking to recruit five organisations to feed in to our research and become exemplars of best practice governance. The participating organisations will use our Governance Review Service (GRS) which provides a confidential, comprehensive and robust assessment of the effectiveness of third sector boards, chairs and CEOs. The results of each assessment will also be considered by the Commission taskforce.

Members already receive a £800 discount on the GRS price, however we are currently able to offer an element of match funding for those taking part in the Commission research. The review takes approximately 4 weeks from beginning to end and is ideal for chairs and boards looking for governance support and development. Please contact Eleanor Dandy on 020 7014 4625 or eleanor.dandy@acevo.org.uk to find out more. 

ACEVO is launching a commission on charity governance, to be chaired by Derek Twine, outgoing chief executive of the Scout Association. The commission, which will consider the state of governance in the sector and make recommendations, will take evidence over the next few months and report in summer 2013. For more details see here

The Autumn Statement confirms that the UK faces low growth and continued austerity for the forseeable future. The cuts to departmental resource budgets and local government budgets will put more pressure on charities struggling to meet increased demand for their services with reduced levels of funding. As with the real-terms cuts to welfare spending, these measures will hit vulnerable and disadvantaged people hardest, and the third sector will have a vital role to play in mitigating their effects.

The government must recognise the contribution made by the third sector to economic growth, for example by helping people back to work, supporting people to stay healthy and well, and tackling social isolation and exclusion. It should explore ways to alleviate the funding pressure on the sector, including by allowing voluntary and community organisations to access the New Business Bank, and ensuring that local authorities follow the Best Value Guidance and avoid passing on disproportionate cuts to the sector. The review of digital giving also provides an important opportunity to increase levels of giving and protect the sector’s capacity to support the most vulnerable

See ACEVO's summary here

Sir Stephen Bubb, CEO of ACEVO, has called on charity chairs to do more to drive up the performance of their boards, as new figures suggest CEOs tend to be significantly more worried about board performance than their chairs.

Read more

 The figures are drawn from the ACEVO/Attenti pay survey, due to be launched at ACEVO’s annual conference on 29 November.

ACEVO and the Foundation Trust Network (FTN) have welcomed the new NHS Commissioning Board mandate, published on 13 November 2012 by the Department of Health, and announced a new work programme to assess how NHS Trusts and third sector organisations can jointly contribute to delivering the new mandate.  Read more

ACEVO and the NHS Alliance have jointly launched a new Clinical Commissioner’s Guide to the Voluntary Sector. The Guide calls for a revolution in NHS/community links, setting out practical examples to support closer working between clinical commissioners and third sector organisations. It explores three key areas – QIPP, patient and public involvement and collaborative commissioning- to show how the sector will play a pivotal role in shaping the new NHS. Speaking at the launch, Sir Stephen Bubb, CEO of ACEVO, said: “It is vital that clinical commissioners and voluntary organisations work closely together on the design and delivery of health and care services. This guide sets out principles and examples for developing the relationships between local communities and commissioners that will help to shape the future of NHS services.” Download the guide here.

ACEVO and a coalition of voluntary sector umbrella organisations have warned that the government’s plans to reform the banking system will cost charities millions of pounds by exposing them to huge losses if a bank collapses. In a joint submission to ministers, we  called on the Government to grant charities “preferred creditor” status, to give charity deposits additional protection in the event of a bank collapse, at no extra cost to the taxpayer. Sir Stephen Bubb, CEO of ACEVO, commented:   “Over recent years we have seen the devastating impacts on beneficiaries and communities as charities have been forced to close due to the financial crisis. It is therefore only right that Government builds in measures to protect charities in their proposals to try and prevent future disasters”. Read a full press release.

On 16 July, Lord Hodgson published his review of the Charities Act (click here), with over 100 recommendations for change – including some controversial ideas around paying trustees and fees for Charity Commission services.

We want to know what you think. You can give your views through our 12-question survey here.

It’s excellent news that the Government have listened to and acted  on the call by ACEVO’s Commission for more help for young people in the country’s worst-hit unemployment hotspots.

This is a welcome step forward. But the Commission’s vision was for all key local players to step up to the mark and act to bring down youth unemployment in their areas – employers, charities, councils and not just the jobcentre.

If we are to make a real difference in the ‘hotspots’ identified by the Deputy Prime Minister, that kind of collaboration will be essential. In implementing this policy, Nick Clegg must ensure the potential of the voluntary sector and other key players is seized upon, and that Jobcentre Plus does not end up going it alone.

A new publication on the strategic management of charity reserves, by Charity Finance Group, ACEVO, the Institute of Fundraising and Sayer Vincent, was launched yesterday. Beyond Reserves challenges charity trustees and managers about whether they are using reserves effectively – or if they could be made to work harder for the charity and its beneficiaries.

Publication available now for ACEVO members. Log in now and look under the Free Resources section

Not a member? Join now

The Chancellor has said he will exempt charitable giving from the cap on tax reliefs proposed in the 2012 Budget. The move, which comes after weeks of campaigning by ACEVO and others, will bring relief to charities of all shapes and sizes, from small organisations reliant on grant funders to international charities working with major donors.

ACEVO chief executive Sir Stephen Bubb said: “This is good news for charities up and down the land. The Chancellor has listened and done the right thing, and I applaud him for doing so.”

Have you read the ACEVO supplement in the latest Third Sector magazine? Subscribe to membership@acevo.org.uk to either have a complimentary copy mailed to you or a link to download the PDF. Subscribe now!

Sir Stephen Bubb delivered a key note speech on Thursday 10th May, marking the 25^th anniversary of ACEVO. To preview, click on the video below.

Click here to download the transcript.

Get 20% off ACEVO membership

To celebrate our 25^th Anniversary, answer the following question to receive 20% discount off ACEVO membership!

In Sir Stephen’s speech, he makes reference to two great philosophers - Oliver Wendell Holmes and Dolly Parton. Who does he end up quoting?

Email the answer to membership@acevo.org.uk to claim 20% discount. For promotion T&Cs, please click here.

Recently ACEVO has been at the forefront of opposition to the Government’s proposed cap on tax relief for charitable donations, Last week Sir Stephen Bubb appeared on Newsnight as well as BBC and Sky News to set out ACEVO’s position that efforts to reduce tax avoidance must not come at the expense of charitable giving. He also took a delegation of senior third sector leaders and philanthropists to explain the sector’s concerns to Nick Hurd, the Minister for Civil Society. There is clear evidence that the proposed cap will have a negative effect on the level of giving by large donors, at a time when the third sector needs to increase its voluntary income to compensate for cuts in public funding. The Government must let common sense prevail and create an exemption to the tax relief cap for charitable donations. Read more

ACEVO has today launched an expert taskforce to consider how a ‘prevention revolution’ could be achieved in health and care, in order to improve outcomes for people and help to meet the financial and demographic challenges facing the NHS. The Prevention Taskforce, made up of experts from across the fields of health and social care, will examine practical ways to shift investment towards preventative services.

Read more

The report from the Riots Communities and Victims Panel has now been published. Download your copy here. If you are a third sector leader and have feedback on this report, get in touch.

CFG, NPC and ACEVO have today launched 'Principles into Practice: How charities and social enterprises communicate impact'. The publication uses case studies and expert articles to explore the themes and ideas in the Principles of Good Impact Reporting, which are also published in their final format today after being open to consultation.

Speaking at the No10 summit on the health bill and writing in the Times today, Sir Stephen Bubb outlined ACEVO’s views on the future of health and social care. ACEVO has not taken a position on the controversial health bill as a whole, but Sir Stephen made two points to the PM; firstly that we need action on the Dilnot review to reform social care funding, and secondly that many third sector leaders would like to be able to provide their beneficiaries with better, more preventative and community-based services – and that potential needs to be tapped. For more details contact ralph.michell@acevo.org.uk

A new report published today by the Commission on Youth Unemployment finds that youth unemployment has reached emergency point. With 1 in 5 young people not in employment, education or training and a quarter of a million unemployed for over a year, the Commission says youth unemployment is not only one of the greatest challenges facing the country in human terms, but is also a £28bn timebomb under the nation’s finances.

Read the full release Download the report and the speech

Following the Annual General Meeting of 25 Jan 2012, ACEVO is pleased to announce its new board members as elected by ACEVO members.

• Alison Agius – Catalyst Stockton
• Virginia Beardshaw – ICAN (current ACEVO Board member, re-elected for 2nd term)
• Cath Lee – Small Charities Coalition
• Paul Martin – Lesbian and Gay Foundation

Charity leaders are today calling for urgent and radical reform of the criminal justice system. With prison population figures at record levels, reoffending rates stubbornly high and the Ministry of Justice facing a 23% budget cut, the charities argue that as an economy and as a society, we simply cannot afford to continue with the self-defeating status quo. ACEVO’s Reducing Reoffending taskforce is therefore urging Government to re-energise their commitment for a genuine Rehabilitation Revolution and work with the third sector to make sure it does not fall off track.

Read the full press release

Download the report

ACEVO has published the 2011 impact report. The report can be download in full here.

As well as the challenges the sector is set to face this year, there are also some reasons to celebrate. The London Olympics, the Queen’s Jubilee and, ACEVO’s Silver Jubilee. The theme of our Jubilee is celebrating 25 years of CEO leadership – both our beneficiaries and our communities up and down the country. Starting next week we have a whole host of events taking place across the country. Be sure to check www.acevo.org.uk/silverjubilee throughout the year to find out how to get involved.

ACEVO has launched a new guide offering practical advice on how equality and diversity can be mainstreamed in third sector organisations. It has been designed to help third sector organisations tailor action on diversity to their particular organisation.

The guide is arranged in sections spanning the case for equality and diversity; the legislation; the role of leadership; integrating equality with policy and procurement; and what to monitor.

Find out more and download the guide from our publications store

The Chancellor has delivered his Autumn Statement, which outlined the Government’s plans to “protect Britain from debt storm and do all we can to build foundations of future growth”. The Government plans to do this by stimulating money and credit supply and by investing in infrastructure and education, the Chancellor argued.

Read our full analysis here

Hear what challenges members are facing and what their future plans are.

‘Good Governance - A code for the voluntary and community sector: smaller organisation version’ is designed to complement Good Governance: a Code for the Voluntary and Community sector and provides a framework for organisations without staff to govern in a way that is appropriate to their size. Find out more here”

Richard Desmond’s ‘Health Lottery’ could result in less money going to good causes – it competes with the National Lottery and small local lotteries run by charities such as hospices, but gives significantly less to good causes. ACEVO has been campaigning against it, and has written to Desmond, retailers supporting the Health Lottery, the Gambling Commission and DCMS. Find out more here.

As well as fulfilling a governance and oversight role, ACEVO’s trustees agree the strategy and priorities of the association. Nominations to stand for the ACEVO board are now open. To find out more and complete the nomination process go to www.acevo.org.uk/vote. Nominations must be received by 17:00 on Friday 04 November 2011.

A universal set of principles for impact reporting in charities and social enterprises has been released for consultation. The initiative, led by New Philanthropy Capital, CFDG and ACEVO, is now in a consultation phase, seeking feedback from key groups involved in developing impact reporting including chief executives, finance directors, fundraisers and grant-makers.

Download the principles

Only 8% of third sector subcontractors are confident that the Work Programme will hit its targets, a new survey by ACEVO has discovered. The survey also finds that voluntary organisations are being asked to shoulder significant risks through the initiative. Read more and access the full briefing here.

ACEVO has submitted a response to the Government's consultation on the Open Public Services White Paper. ACEVO called for more urgency on public service reform, greater emphasis on delivery and accountability, support for a healthy provider market, a level playing field for voluntary sector providers, improved commissioning and meaningful empowerment of service users. You can read the submission in full here.

Sir Stephen Bubb has given a speech to ACEVO Members in Manchester promising to fight the corner of third sector leaders facing disproportionate cuts, and urging the Government to go 'full throttle' on public service reform. You can read his speech here.

ACEVO has teamed up with NCVO to produce the Localism Conference 1011, taking place on 9 December in Birmingham. At this conference we will look ahead and discuss how localism is evolving both outside and within the sector. You will hear from government ministers, policy makers and innovators in localism who will give you the knowledge and experience to tackle localism head on. Find out more at www.localismconference.org.uk

There's only one week to go until the ACEVO North Conference - 'Leading Change in the Third Sector'. This year's line-up of speakers includes Paul Martin OBE, CEO Lesbian and Gay Foundation, Amanda Tincknell, CEO Cranfield Trust and Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, amongst many others. Make sure you book your place now to guarantee you place!

 This evening we will be launching our latest publication in partnership with the Gulbenkian Foundation. 'Learning to Succeed' examines how voluntary organisations invest in learning in order to better achieve their mission. You can download it here.

ACEVO has established a Commission on Youth Unemployment, to be chaired by Rt Hon David Miliband MP. The ONS figures for August 2011 saw youth unemployment rates rise again. They now stand at just over 20%, with just under 1 million young people unemployed. The ACEVO Commission will be reporting with proposals for tackling youth unemployment in winter this year. The other members of the Commission include: Debbie Scott (Tomorrow’s People), Professor Paul Gregg (University of Bristol), Katherine Kerswell (Kent County Council), and Jonathan Portes (National Institute for Economic and Social Research). The Commission has released an initial call for evidence on 6 key questions here. You can also get in touch to share evidence/views through policy@acevo.org.uk.

Sir Stephen Bubb has responded to the Government’s establishment of a panel on the recent riots in England. In letters to the PM and Deputy PM he argues the panel should be tasked with understanding the socio-economic context in which riots to place. The letters also urge the Government to base its response to the riots on evidence-based policy and local solutions rather than one-size-fits-all approaches. Read the letters to the Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister.

ACEVO’s Sir Stephen Bubb has been made a Director of the new Big Society Trust. The Big Society Trust has been tasked with acting as the guardian of the social mission of the Big Society Capital. Read Third Sector’s coverage here.

The government has announced a £10 million programme, starting in April 2012, to support third sector organisations to deliver public services in areas the government is reforming, and to access new types of social finance facilitated by the big society bank. As the OCS strategic partner leading in advising the cabinet office on public service reform, ACEVO will be undertaking a range of activity to influence the shape of this £10 million programme and responses of individual Whitehall departments to the Open Public Services white paper. If you have views or want to get involved, email us (policy@acevo.org.uk) or go to www.openpublicservices.cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

ACEVO's Sir Stephen Bubb has written to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister urging them to stand strong ahead of Monday's launch of the long awaited White Paper on Public Service Reform. Read the letters to Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Compact Voice are encouraging anyone with a knowledge of their local Compact to take part in their first annual survey.

The short survey aims to gather up-to-date information about the state of all local Compacts across England, identifying where they are working well and where improvement is needed.

The current era of localism, deregulation, and budget cuts means it’s vital that strong relationships and services flourish and remain intact, and local Compacts are a key mechanism to help achieve this.

Compact Voice believe that information gathered which can be used to assess the health of local Compacts will enable us to better understand how they have helped address some of the challenges being experienced by the voluntary and community sector.

The survey is open until 12 July, 2011 and can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Compact_Voice_Survey. All responses will be confidential.

For any further queries, please contact Kelly Ventress or visit www.compactvoice.org.uk.

A report released today by the Taskforce on Early Years for the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations is calling for greater partnership between the voluntary sector and Government to help deliver the services needed by more than a million children to overcome intergenerational deprivation or neglect.

Read the full press release

Download the report (PDF, 3.4 MB)

The voluntary sector is going through an unprecedented period of upheaval and change. Many CEOs are finding themselves well outside their own comfort zones in some or all of these areas and facing issues for which they feel themselves ill equipped in terms of experience, expertise or both. Launched at our CEO Summit this new guide features third sector leadership case studies and practical management advice. Download your free copy.

The final report on Choice and Competition from the NHS Future Forum has been released today. Sir Stephen Bubb, CEO of ACEVO, chaired the panel and argued that compeition in the NHS should only be understood as a means to the end of greater choice for patients and therefore better quality services. He also makes the case for a patient's right to challenge so that patients and citizens can ensure that they are getting care from the organisation which they want to treat them. Read the full report here

We have had a number of members contact us to say that they need more time to gather the information they neeed to complete the pay survey. In response to this, we are extending the deadline until 13 June. If you have not done so already, complete the survey to get your free electronic copy when the report is produced.

With three weeks to go until this year's Summit ACEVO are pleased to announce all delegates will receive a free copy of the ACEVO publication, Leadership in Challenging Times. This new guide features third sector leadership case studies and practical management advice.

The Summit will provide CEOs with a toolkit of how to thrive during times of change, keep employees engaged and motivated through restructure and financial difficulties, and, how to deal with spending cuts. With Early Bird prices open until 09 June book your place now.

A year on from the Prime Minister’s launch of the Big Society programme an independent, cross party Commission are calling on Government to “fill in the blanks” on Big Society.

Powerful people, responsible society, the Commission’s final report, embraces the Big Society as an agenda that “should transcend party politics” but criticises Government for failing to articulate a clear plan on Big Society, as research conducted by the Commission finds that only 13% of the public believe the Government has a clear plan for Big Society.

[Read the press release here]

[Read the Commission's final report]

The Income Generation Programme existed to promote a range of income generating options to assist development workers and leaders improve organisational independence and financial stability. This three year programme came to an end in April. Read about the successes of the campaign. 

ACEVO has worked with New Philanthropy Capital, the charity think tank and consultancy to create a framework to measure ACEVO’s impact and organisational outcomes with the aim that the tools can be adapted, developed and replicated by other infrastructure bodies. Download the report here.

The ACEVO Commission on Big Society’s report will be launched in central London on the morning of 16 May. Members of the Commission speaking at the event include the Commission’s Chair Lord Rennard, Lord Boateng, Nick Boles MP and Dame Clare Tickell. To reserve your place at the launch, click here (remember – you will need to log in). Places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

The Clore Social Leadership Programme is now looking for its third cohort of Fellows. To be eligible, applicants must be working in or closely with the wider social sector and will have demonstrated leadership potential in some of the work they have already undertaken. Applicants for the 2012 Fellowships are now open. Read more about the programme, or for more details about how to apply visit www.cloresocialleadership.org.uk 

The Government has embarked on a " listening " exercise over their health service reforms. As part of this they have established an NHS Future Forum, chaired by Steve Field, former President of the Royal College of GPs. This forum reports to the Prime Minister. The PM has asked ACEVO CEO Stephen Bubb if he would join the forum and chair a panel on Choice and Competition.

ACEVO has agreed to release Stephen to undertake this task full time for the next 2 months. In the interim ACEVO's deputy CEO Dr Peter Kyle, will be acting CEO.

The ACEVO Commission on Big Society would like to know your views on 9 key questions, and would be grateful if you could complete the short survey by clicking here. The findings will feed in to the Commission’s report, which will be launched in central London on the morning of 16 May. To reserve your place at the launch, click here (remember – you will need to log in). Places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

The Work Programme Prime Providers were announced on Friday 01 April; the results are available here. DWP have indicated it is their aim to publish all relevant contractual and supply chain information following our letter urging them to do so.

ACEVO, NCVO and NAVCA have written to the CEOs of all local councils in England urging them to ensure public spending cuts do not jeopardise relationships between councils and third sector organisations. Find out more and read the letter.

Osborne delivered a budget which he described as one for recovery and growth. He outlined a range of measures to help charities, which he described as a “big help for the big society.” Read ACEVO's analysis here.

Dear Chancellor, I was dismayed to read the recommendation in the Office of Tax Simplification’s (OTS) report that the Government should scrap Community Investment Tax Relief (CITR). At the heart of the Government's reform plans (and the Big Society agenda) is enabling third sector organisations to deliver public services, given their ability to do so in a way that often achieves better outcomes and lower costs to the state. However, this will not happen without investment. Contine reading...

New research by ippr North and ACEVO released today finds that many Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in the North are missing out on the added value and benefits available to them by failing to engage effectively with local voluntary organisations and social enterprise. Read the Drawing on all resources report here.

Baker Tilly, one of the UK's leading providers of accounting and business services and ACEVO are launching the Leadership Survey 2011. The survey will investigate a number of areas including third sector funding, board member skills, strategic planning and performance measurement. The results, to be published in May, will enable organisations to benchmark themselves against best practice in the sector. CEOs, directors, senior managers, board members and trustees of third sector organisations are invited to complete the survey. Respondents that complete the survey will be entered into a prize draw with the chance to win a £250 donation to their organisation. Complete the survey now 

ACEVO is preparing a response to the recent giving green paper. We are very keen to hear member views on the key issues around personal giving - please complete a very short online survey or email Nick Carey with more general thoughts on the paper. We will also be holding a roundtable on 03 March from 1500-1700 to discuss these issues in more detail – please email Nick Carey if you are interested in attending, places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Dear Sir Steve,

Firstly, many congratulations on receiving your knighthood for services to the Voluntary and Community Sector as part of this year's New Year's Honours List. Your work on behalf of the Sector has been extremely valuable and continues to be much appreciated by this government. I am also aware of your work as Chair of the Social Investment Business and that you have made previous recommendations regarding the Big Society Bank's role and scope.

Continue reading...

You may have seen, heard or read our CEO Sir Stephen Bubb speaking out about the dangers that cuts pose to the Big Society agenda in the press over the last few days. Yesterday, the government has made a welcome restatement of the aims of the agenda, with acknowledgment of the dangers that cuts pose and a refocusing on some of the meatier aspects of the agenda.

Read our message in full.

ACEVO is developing a new framework to measure our impact and support other umbrella bodies to do the same. Working with New Philanthropy Capital, we are seeking to gain a deeper understanding of how our information, support and policy resources help members. Read more...

Dear Prime Minister, I salute the concept of “Big Society”. It has focused attention on the work of charities and community organisations; our role in supporting the poor and vulnerable and in building a better society and a country at ease with itself. This is a noble aim. But I am worried that your great ideal is about to be swamped by a tidal wave of growing needs and rising cuts.

Read more

ACEVO is running over 20 workshops in March and April focused on helping third sector organisations survive and thrive in what will be a difficult year. Workshop titles include Diversifying your Income, Tips & Tools for a New Era of Collaboration and Partnership and The Human Side of Mergers. Book four workshops and pay for three.

Read more about ACEVO's Survival Workshop Week.

Following our AGM yesterday we can now announce the results of the board elections. From the 11 nominations received the successful candidates are:

Tom Flood, BTCV

Priscilla Nkwenti, Black Health Agency

Diana Kingdon, Greenoak Housing Association

Cliff Allum, Skillshare International

Mark Lever, The National Autistic Society

Offered through the Harvard Kennedy School, this is an online programme designed for Third Sector CEOs who want to tap into the energy and talent of their boards.

The programme will help CEOs understand how both boards and executives can reframe their work to support more effective and consequential governance.
Read more about the Governance and leadership course

ACEVO corporate partner Speechly Bircham LLP and King's College London are again conducting their State of HR Survey and would like to ask ACEVO members to take part. The survey provides key insight into what is happening to the UK workforce.  As well as general analysis and providing results across different sectors.

At a time of so much change and challenge in our sector you and your HR team can make a great contribution to this vital research by taking a short moment to complete this survey – your contribution is valuable.

The Rt Hon Francis Maude MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Nick Hurd MP, Minister for Civil Society, today released an open letter to the sector. The letter details the outcome of the Spending Review and the opportunities and challenges it presents for charities, social enterprises, voluntary and community groups.

The letter announced the £100 million Transition Fund, set up to help the most vulnerable third sector organisations, will be delivered by the Big Lottery Fund, in consultation with ACEVO and Capacitybuilders, among others.

Read the full letter here

Stephen Bubb told the ACEVO annual conference today that while sector leaders face "turbulent and tough times ahead", the opportunities for the sector to deliver more public services could see it increase its income in key areas by up to 2 billion.

Speaking at the largest gathering of the year for third sector leaders, Bubb said,

"We should be in no doubt that the coming years will hurt for many of our beneficiaries and many of our organisations. Some will go under, many more will contract.

"But there are opportunities amidst the gloom. Opportunities for our organisations to do more, to deliver better services for our beneficiaries, and to do so despite the contraction in state spending.

"Taking just those areas the government said in the spending review that it would consider setting proportions to be outsourced and two public service areas where the Government has been equally clear it sees a significantly expanded role for the sector – offender rehabilitation and public health -we estimate the sector's income could grow by up to 2 billion a year by 2015, despite the contraction in overall spending.

Bubb pointed to examples such as community health services, where the NHS spends 7 billion a year, of which only around 7% goes to the third sector; or services for offenders, where the government spends 3.5 billion a year, of which less than 5% goes to the third sector. "These are areas where the potential of our sector is almost entirely untapped," he will say. "If the government translates its warm words into action, we will see significant expansion of the third sector's role in these areas."

In that vein, he will call on Government to be more transparent on what it commissions from the third sector and to collect relevant data so that it is able to monitor the degree to which it has been successful in opening up services to third sector providers. “If the Government is serious about this agenda, it will need to measure and monitor the proportions of services delivered by the third sector. Otherwise it will be shaping Government policy and spending public money in the dark.”

Bubb will tell the conference of third sector leaders,

"We need to be hard-headed about the years ahead. There is no getting away from the fact that the cuts will hurt, hitting many of our organisations and our beneficiaries hard. But we must not be blinded to what opportunities there are by the bad news that there certainly will be. We need to see those opportunities and seize them."

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

ACEVO is the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations and we are the leading voice for chief executives in the third sector. With over 2,000 members nationwide, we support, develop, connect and represent third sector leaders.