Have your say on the county's voluntary and community sector

How many voluntary organisations and community groups are there in the county? What do they do? What social and economic contribution do they make to the county?

These are just some of the questions Herefordshire’s State of the Sector research study will answer but we need your input. We want to hear from all types and sizes of organisations and groups especially if you have only recently set up or are a very small volunteer run group.

All those that complete the survey will be entered into a draw to win £500 for their group.

The voluntary and community sector are key partners in Herefordshire Council's Talk Community approach. In 2020, Herefordshire Council and hvoss commissioned Impact Consultancy to undertake Phase One of research into the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector which assessed the ‘state of the sector’ in Herefordshire. The research provided valuable insight into the size and diversity of the sector, the contribution it makes socially and economically and the key issues facing the sector locally.

Phase Two of this research begins now with the launch of this State of the Sector survey. This will take the same format as the previous survey in order to enable comparisons from 2020 to be made. New questions relating to the cost-of-living crisis have been added to reflect the environment in which voluntary organisations and community groups are operating in.

This is your opportunity to contribute to a really valuable piece of work that will give us a detailed picture of the scale and scope of the sector. The information collected will provide powerful evidence of the essential role that voluntary and community groups play socially and economically in the county and demonstrate why the sector needs to be properly resourced, supported and listened to.

It will only take you around 15 minutes to complete. The survey is also your opportunity to register for the focus groups that we are running as part of this research.

The more groups that fill in the survey the clearer the picture will be. So, play your part in making this the biggest and most comprehensive research into the voluntary and community sector in Herefordshire. Spread the word and share the link with other groups you may know.

The research has been commissioned by Herefordshire Council in partnership with hvoss. The survey will close on 28th February. If you have any questions about the survey or the focus groups please contact claire@impactconsultancy.co.uk

Complete the survey here: Phase 2: State of the Voluntary and Community sector 2024 Survey (surveymonkey.com)