NICVA Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action

The History of NICVA  NICVA was established to promote, develop and support the voluntary and community sector for the benefit of the community in Northern Ireland and in any other part of the world  NICVA acts as a representative of the voluntary and community sector in relation to government policies and legislation  NICVA works to promote and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of charities, voluntary and community groups  They provide help with managing the organisations by providing office accommodation, conference, training, information, advice and other facilities, services or support

Vision and Mission Vision  NICVA's vision is of an effective, vibrant voluntary and community sector which helps build a fair and equal society. Mission  NICVA's Mission is to represent and promote the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland and to provide support and leadership to it.

Values  NICVA is committed to equality, justice and promoting diversity and opposes discrimination of any sort  NICVA is committed to positive social change to address poverty and exclusion  NICVA is committed to partnership working and adopts a community development approach  NICVA values its staff and volunteers as the key resource of the organisation

Values  NICVA is committed to pursuing social, environmental and economic sustainability  NICVA is an independent organisation and is non party political  NICVA strives for excellence in all that it does in order to provide high quality services  NICVA conducts its business in an open, honest, transparent and accountable way to its members and stakeholders

How it addresses the issues  NICVA provides help, support and training for Charities / NGOs in Northern Ireland  They provide advice about receiving donations and carrying out any voluntary work  If a charity needs help in Northern Ireland they can speak to NICVA  They help the charities apply for funding and grants by helping fill in application forms  Provides links between charities / Stormont

How the individual, society and government play a part  As an individual you can support NGOs through donating or volunteering  As a society we can create NGOs that help those less fortunate than ourselves  The Government can communicate issues to the public and educate young people in schools about how to respond to social injustice / natural disaster

Current Campaigns and Projects  NICVA offer information on how NGOs can:  Apply for Lottery Funding  Accept Gift Aided Donations  Have their say in a Northern Ireland Bill of Rights  Fundraise  Manage Staff  Manage Stress in the Workplace

The Effectiveness of the NGO  NICVA is like an umbrella that protects and helps the NGOs that exist in Northern Ireland  NICVA provide a valuable service for all NGOs in Northern Ireland  It gives each NGO the support and advice they need, when they need it  It offers valuable advice on funding, fundraising, staffing, training, premises