The verdict is in

Last year NICVA conducted its annual Membership Survey and as always the opinions of the NICVA membership have proven to be very illuminating and informative. We received a total of 221 responses (27%) to the survey which examined how members rate the different services that NICVA provides as well as assessing how members generally perceive the role and function of NICVA.

Generally the services that NICVA provides for members are viewed extremely positively but as always there is room for improvement. Some of the suggestions made by members included:

• greater targeting of information for different sub-sectors or communities
• the development of policy forums across sub-sectors to help provide a greater voice for small and large organisations alike
• the development of new methods of communication such as bulletin boards for consultations and targeted emails.

New methods of communication

Many of these suggestions have already been taken on board by NICVA. For instance a number of specific policy forums have been held which will inform the next Policy Manifesto but which will also give members the opportunity to discuss and develop policy responses which are relevant to their own sector. To find out more about the different forums that have already taken place or are planned please contact Zoe Anderson.

The development of the Community NI website (launch date 20 April 2005) as the single gateway to Northern Ireland's charitable and voluntary and community organisations will mean information will be better targeted for each of the sub-sectors. Contact Brendan Kane , ICT Outreach Officer, to find out more about Community NI and how your organisation can contribute to the portal.

NICVA is very aware of the volume of information it distributes to its members and is working towards developing the systems that will allow for a more targeted approach to information dissemination. Of course there is a lot of work that needs to be done in order to make these things happen but as always we are reliant upon members telling us where we need to change and adapt to meet their needs. We greatly appreciate the contribution of the members which took the time to complete questionnaire.

We also asked members to tell us how they perceive NICVA the organisation. Below are some of the most interesting aspects of this part of the survey.

• 78% of respondents believe NICVA provides effective leadership for the voluntary and community sector.
• NICVA is ‘the voice’ of the voluntary and community sector according to 66% of respondents.
• If NICVA didn’t exist, 46% of members stated that it would significantly impact on their ability to undertake their work.
• 13% of respondents felt that NICVA is too close to government to effectively represent the views of its members. However, 57% thought that NICVA has a significant impact on policy development within government.
• Seven out of ten organisations felt that NICVA, as an organisation, has significantly improved over the last five years.
• One in five organisations felt that NICVA very rarely leaves Belfast when holding events or seminars.
• 62% of respondents felt that NICVA complements the work of other sub-sectors.
• NICVA’s primary role is to represent its members on matters of policy affecting the voluntary and community sector according to 77% of the respondents to the membership survey.
• One in ten respondents felt that NICVA does not take account of the needs of its members.

If you want to find out more about this survey or services NICVA provides its members please contact

Paula Reynolds
Director of Member Services
028 9087 7777

Read the full report
Membership Survey Report (164Kb)

Membership Questionnaire 2004
Membership Questionnaire (37Kb)