In 2024 we surveyed Norfolk’s voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations to find out their main priorities and challenges, plus what they think of Empowering Communities and the support they would benefit from going forward. 100 organisations provided their feedback, from the smallest community groups through to large regional charities. Thank you to all those who completed the survey – your feedback has helped to build a picture of the key issues affecting our local VCSEs and will be instrumental in shaping our support to you.

Following detailed analysis of the data we are pleased to publish a report, State of the Norfolk VCSE Sector 2024 . Please read on for the headlines, key themes and an executive summary providing an overview of the report’s findings. Or access the full report here.

Headlines from the State of the Norfolk VCSE Sector Report

Finances & Funding:

• Securing funding or commissioning is a key issue for 59% of Norfolk VCSEs
• 63% plan to prioritise maintaining or increasing funding in the next year
• 37% are focussing on diversifying funding streams, while 25% have already done this

Capacity:

• 47% highlighted increasing demand for services as a key issue
• 34% concerned with maintaining their current offer, reflecting capacity issues
• Recruiting or retaining volunteers is a key priority for 39%
• 47% want or need to create new paid roles in the next 12 months

Rising Costs:

• Over 50% said their financial position has deteriorated as result of rising costs
• 24% have had to increase the price of their services
• 25% have drawn on their reserves, a significant proportion of which are very small organisations

Key messages from the State of the Norfolk VCSE Sector Report

The priorities and training needs of the smallest organisations are notably different to those of larger organisations. This presents an opportunity for larger organisations to share space, training and resources with smaller VCSEs, while larger VCSEs benefit from networking and collaboration.

Funding remains the number one issue. Organisations of all sizes are drawing on their reserves to meet rising costs, including those who are state-funded. More needs to be done to ensure that commissioners are funding the full cost of projects and, where possible, uplifting funding in line with inflationary and staffing costs.

The sector is struggling with capacity to meet increased demand. The roles of paid staff need to be recognised, resourced and rewarded. With volunteers seeking more flexible and casual roles, the importance of training and retaining staff to ensure a high-quality, consistent service has never been higher.