News archive

We are pleased to announce that Skills for Growth and Landmark Training merged in November 2011. IVAR provided support and facilitation to the merger over a period of six months, supporting senior management and trustees to explore why, how and when to merge. 

IVAR’s Academic Adviser, Margaret Harris, is given the Award for Distinguished Achievement and Leadership in Nonprofit and Voluntary Action Research.

Mike Aiken, Head of Research at IVAR, speaks at Edinburgh Business School

What role do multi-purpose organisations play in increasing people’s participation? Can they help individuals and groups have more of a say in matters that affect them? This research examines these questions.

IVAR attended the NCVO/VSSN Researching the Voluntary Sector conference (7-8 September 2011) and presented two papers. 

On 27 September 2011, we ran a merger masterclass for organisations funded by Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Lankelly Chase and The Tudor Trust. Read about some of the issues explored by participants on the day. 

IVAR publishes Beyond money - the final report of a study on funding plus practices, funded by Barrow Cadbury Trust, The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and Trust for London.  

Phase 1 of the Partnership Improvement Programme (PIP) came to an end on 31st March 2011. We have worked with the voluntary and public sectors in 50 local authority areas to bring about practical and lasting improvements to the way they work together. Three reports and a briefing on partnership working have been produced over the lifetime of the programme: 

What are the differences between traditional forms of philanthropy and ‘new’ philanthropy? How do we balance a drive toward outcomes funding with a philanthropic appetite for risk? Is philanthropy a social act or simply an economic transaction?

The fourth seminar of the 2010/11 BIVAR seminar series took place on Thursday 12th May where Julia Unwin and Cathy Pharoah presented their thinking and research on Tackling Poverty, Giving Money and Getting Involved in the era of Big Society.

We are pleased to launch Thinking about... collaboration, which present findings on collaboration from 10 years of our research. Findings from over 70 projects are synthesised to help shed light on our understanding of collaboration. We look at the organisational drivers, challenges and responses to collaboration, as well as some of the useful theories and concepts in this area. 

Charities Evaluation Services, in association with Collaboration Benefits, have launched Making a Difference Together? A guide to planning, monitoring and evaluating voluntary and community sector collaborative working.

IVAR is one of six partners in a consortium that has been selected to develop BIG Lottery Fund’s groundbreaking, £200m, BIG Local Trust programme.

Update on a number of IVAR presentations at the ACF conference and an article on 'funder plus' for Trust and Foundation News. 

IVAR has been commissioned by ACEVO (Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations) to undertake an exploratory study examining capacity building and support for the voluntary and community sector.

IVAR is moving premises on Friday 27th August. To get our new address and phone number.

IVAR is undertaking a major study into 'high engagement funding' (funder plus) over the next twelve months. The research has been commissioned by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and the Trust for London.

This second article presenting findings from IVAR’s study of community bridge-building has been published in the first issue of the new UK academic journal ‘Voluntary Sector Review’.   The new journal is sponsored by the Voluntary Sector Studies Network (VSSN) and is an exciting landmark for UK scholars and practitioners who, up to now, have had to rely on  international journals for reading and publishing about the voluntary sector.  

In this, the second of our specially commissioned articles that reflect upon IVAR 10th anniversary year - Julian Ashby - chair of the trustees - takes a different viewpoint and looks back a bit further than our anniversary would suggest.

Julian sees nothing odd in reflecting on a 10th anniversary by wondering whether it ought to be celebrating a 30th instead. Setting IVAR in this longer context illuminates both its origins and the enduring validity of its focus and methodology.

What has been happening on the research into the community ownership and management of assets since you last checked the calendar?  IVAR Project lead - Mike Aiken updates us on progress and looks ahead to the end of the project in January 2011.

The IDe&A hosted a diverse gathering of over 70 in York last week at the second Partnership Improvement Programme (PIP) conference.