Understanding the VCSE sector: a shared language for thriving communities

It’s not always easy to explain what the VCSE sector is, the scale of its work, or how essential it is to the wider systems we live and work in.

It’s not always easy to explain what the VCSE sector is, the scale of its work, or how essential it is to the wider systems we live and work in.

That’s why NAVCA (the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action) has created a new set of infographics to explain the makeup of the VCSE sector, highlighting each category and its proportion within the whole.

There are three infographics that are free to download from the NAVCA website. They are:

• What does VCSE mean? What’s the difference between a voluntary group and a community group? Where do charities fit in? Who has a board of trustees?
• Size of the VCSE sector - Social enterprises make up around 6% of the sector. Voluntary groups (charities) represent 26%. The majority — 68% — are community groups: small, local, and often unregistered.
• Different roles, one ecosystem - Together, these organisations form a connected ecosystem — from micro-charities and grassroots groups to large national charities — working alongside one another to support local people and drive social change.