Welcome to the Institute for Voluntary Action Research – IVAR. We are an independent charity that works closely with people and organisations striving for social change. From the very small that directly support the most vulnerable in their local communities, to those that work nationally – across the voluntary, public and funding sectors.
We use research to develop practical responses to the challenges faced and create opportunities for people to learn from our findings. This site is home to our bank of research and resources, providing insights that can help organisations adapt to change and make informed and confident decisions.
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Recently published
Covid-19
Support for voluntary sector leaders and their funders
The outbreak of the coronavirus in the UK presents a shock that is without precedent for almost all of us. This page will be updated with the latest information about our efforts to support voluntary organisations and their funders at this time, and with links to past research that may be useful.
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Trust, power and collaboration
Shares practical suggestions for taking a ‘human learning systems’ approach to commissioning and funding relationships. Carried out in partnership with Northumbria University and the Tudor Trust the research aimed to capture the varying experiences of those adapting their practice, and identify both what is happening and what needs to change to enable different ways of working – for both VCS organisations and funders/commissioners.
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Thinking about… Merger, during Covid-19
Our updated Thinking about… Merger advice brings together the experiences of a wide variety of voluntary organisations and advisers that have contemplated or carried out merger.
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Youth volunteering in hospitals
Learning and resources from 32 NHS Trusts for those setting up or running youth volunteering programmes in hospitals.
Free resources and support for health, care and VCSE professionals
Transforming Healthcare Together
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10 September 2020
What has Covid-19 taught us about leadership?
Segun Olowookere | Restless Development
Segun Olowookere reflects on what we have learnt about leadership through responding to Covid-19, and asks what will voluntary sector leadership look like in the future?
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03 September 2020
Joined at the hip: Why you can’t make good grants without investing in learning
Ben Cairns
Learning within trusts and foundations is critical: balancing data with intuition; combining evidence with instinct. Here are four things evaluation and learning staff have shared, through the Evaluation Roundtable Community of Practice, that help make sense of how learning informs decision-making.
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Recruitment
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