1. Update on Events and Emerging Themes May 2017
Delivering Change in a Shifting Landscape: Future challenges and opportunities for the VCSE and its partners  
Update on Events and Emerging Themes
May 2017

2. Overall Framing of the Futures Project
To create the enabling environment that delivers the best outcomes for the people and places the VCSE sector works with:
What specific actions can:
the sector take?
policy makers take?
funders take?

3. The conversation so far….
October 2016 Initial Sector Workshop
Co3 Conference - February 2017
Online survey
2 workshops
Vox pops
BCT Grantees Workshop - 8 March 2017

4. The conversation so far….
RCN – 23 March – 25 Year Celebration Event
Fermanagh Trust – 6 April
ACF – 7 April, London & survey
Public Sector Group - 28 April

5. Project Phases Phase 1 – Initial Engagement and Design Sept- Dec 2016
Phase 2 – Engagement Jan – June 2017
Phase 3 – Critical Reflection – July to October
Phase 4 – Focused engagement on developing proposals
Oct 17 - March 18
Phase 5 – Setting the Agenda April - June 2018

6. Opportunities and concerns for the sector locally Key Questions:
October Workshop
Opportunities and concerns for the sector locally
Key Questions:
Participants asked to generate their key questions about the future – these were categorised into 4 themes.

7. October Workshop: Theme 1: Resources, finances and structures
How can we encourage groups to share – there is so much focus on our own targets and objectives?
How to become less competitive - more collaborative?
Is the sector too dependent on government funding?

8. October Workshop: Theme 2: Contextual challenges
How can the sector retain independence?
Is the third sector a social movement or a service provider?
If the future of voluntary action requires more volunteers, is this a challenge?

9. October Workshop: Theme 3: The sector’s perceptions of itself and other sectors
How do we get the NI Executive to value the sector in a meaningful way?
How can the 3rd sector work better with the private sector to deliver social good?
Does this society believe that an independent sector is a good and necessary thing?
How can the third sector hold the state to account when there is such a dependent relationship / funding. How can state decisions be challenged (without fear)?

10. October Workshop: Theme 4: Impact and services
What future for those organisations without capacity to compete for large government contracts?
Future - Is further “professionalisation” necessary for sustainability?
How can we encourage boards to be pro-active about change when it has been risk averse behavior that has enabled organisations to survive?

11. C03 Pre-Conference Survey – Key Challenges Feb 2017
Further cuts in funding
Increased demand of services with less income
Political uncertainty locally

12. C03 Pre-Conference Survey-Key Opportunities
VCSE having an enhanced role in public service delivery
Widening income diversification
Strengthened collaboration within the sector

13. Premise and questions for participants:
CO3 Conference
Premise and questions for participants:
To create the enabling environment that delivers the best outcomes for the people and places the VCSE sector works with:
What specific actions can:
the sector take?
policy makers take?
funders take?

14. CO3 Conference Sector actions:
Information and Communication – Promote what the sector does and the impact it makes
Collaboration and co-operation – less competition
Finance and efficiency – more collaboration and be more self- financing

15. CO3 Conference: Policy maker actions:
Work in partnership with the sector to co-design policies and programmes
Adopt new funding / contracting models
A different approach to bureaucracy
Have contingency plans for uncertainty

16. Co3 Conference Funder actions
Encourage collaboration and co-operation
Work together with the sector
Work with other funders
Focus on the right outcomes
Adopt different funding models
Reduce bureaucracy

17. BCT Grantees Workshop March 2017 Sector actions:
Create and harness new energy and action – not more process
Make the Concordat work
Promote its value – use social enterprise as a means to widen awareness of the sector
Demonstrate
Advocate jointly
Strengthen its reputation.

18. BCT Grantees Workshop March 2017 Policy maker actions:
Create new mechanisms for participation in policy shaping– e.g. Civic Forum and/or constitutional convention
Link outcomes to need, programmes and policy
Be responsive to public needs and co-design programmes with VCSE sector
Create a sector champion.

19. BCT Grantees Workshop March 2017: Funder actions
Government funders – more focus on outcomes not outputs
Government – understand what the sector does and how it works
Longer term funding
Grant loan hybrids – to transition from grant dependency
More collaboration between funders
Government – have realistic levels of bureaucracy.

20. Statutorisation of community development Charity registration
Fermanagh Trust
Issues:
Statutorisation of community development
Charity registration
Collaboration
Need to be engaged in community planning
The need to sustain impact – statutories to learn from good projects

21. Sector actions: Fermanagh Trust
Organisations to challenges selves re aims
Regain independence
Ask for threshold for charity registration
Challenge short term models
Challenge lack of flexibility in funding
Lobby re tendering rules

22. Make space for direct liaison btw small groups and policy makers
Fermanagh Trust
Policy maker actions:
Make space for direct liaison btw small groups and policy makers
Change mindset of one size fits all
Work in a multi-collaborative way
Be less risk- and innovation-averse

23. Fermanagh Trust
Funder actions:
Learn from good practice on ground
Reduce bureaucracy, take risks
Understand difference between urban and rural
Link between funding and community to identify needs
Remove funding bias towards statutory partners
Invest in independent measurement of outcomes
Remove possibility of conflict between commissioning and delivering

24. Overall Emergent Themes
Sector Definitions and Marketing
What is the the sector?
Why does it matter?
How to promote it?

25. Emergent Themes
Collaboration
Inter sectoral
Intra sectoral

26. Emergent Themes Achieving Outcomes Through co-design?
Though co-production?
Through advocacy & challenge?

27. Other emergent themes Independence and Interdependence
Participative structures for influencing policy
What are sustainable funding models?
Reducing bureaucracy associated with funding.

28. Other Events NWCN & Hollywell Trust – 10 May
Community Arts Partnership May
WRDA – 13 June
NI Trusts Group - 7 June
Ballymoney Community Resource Centre – 17 May
DTNI – 8 June
Early Years – June Conference
NICVA – 19 June
ACF Conference October

29. Other Aspects Opinion pieces Reflection on overall findings
Phase 2/3 (Engagement)
Opinion pieces
Phase 3 (Critical Reflection) July to October
Reflection on overall findings
Phase 4 Focused engagement on developing proposals Oct 17 - March 18
Regional Round Tables
Phase 5 – Setting the Agenda April - June 2018
Closing Conference