About us
Our purpose
Why we exist and the value we create for society
Together, we champion charities and volunteers. The compassionate people who make a daily difference. The collective impact made across the country. For stronger communities. For everyone. Everywhere.
Our mission
What we promise to deliver
We unite to champion the remarkable role of charities and volunteers. By speaking up and supporting each other to make a bigger difference. Whoever you are. For every community.
Our members
We represent over 16,000 voluntary organisations, charities, community groups and social enterprises across England. We support our members by developing practical resources designed to support the day-to-day running of their organisations, saving them time to focus on their beneficiaries.
- Find out more about our membership
Goals
Our plan to deliver
- SUPPORT: Enabling charities to make a bigger difference
- AMPLIFY: Speaking up with charities and volunteers
- CONNECT: Uniting people who want charities to thrive
- EVOLVE: Embedding and sharing new ways of working
Our strategy
Our strategy is built around a clear mission.
- Read our strategy
Our history
NCVO started in 1919 as the National Council of Social Service, following a legacy from Edward Vivian Birchall, who died of wounds in France during World War I.
Since then we've continued to support the sector and speak to government in an ever-changing social context. Many established voluntary organisations started out as projects within NCVO, including Age Concern, Citizens Advice Bureau and Community Matters.
- Read more about our history
Our governance
NCVO is governed by a 12-person trustee board and our 50-strong Members' Assembly, which reflects the breadth of NCVO membership. Baroness Jill Pitkeathley OBE is the president of NCVO.
- Find out more about our governance
- Read our annual reports
Our values
How we behave and communicate
- Open. We’re open about how we work and how we make decisions, and the things we learn along the way.
- Collaborative. We’ll work with our members and with the people and organisations who want charities and volunteering to thrive.
- Inclusive. We’ll ensure that our work is inclusive of all voices, bringing the experience and insights of our diverse membership to shape what we do and how we work.
- Ambitious. We’re ambitious for charities and volunteers as our society recovers and rebuilds, in the knowledge that they continue to provide essential support to communities across the country.
