IVAR – The Institute for Voluntary Action Research – has been 25 years in the making (and doing). That’s a quarter of a century working shoulder-to-shoulder with charities as a partner, ally, supporter and critical friend. On 9 October 2025, we came together with some of those who have been a key part of our journey, to celebrate, reflect, and set our sights on what lies ahead.
Ben Cairns, Director
When upheaval is the norm and we’re all swimming in murky waters, the freedom to experiment, to take wrong turns, to make your own choices about how you spend your money, is an essential ingredient of a healthy civil society.
No over-claiming, no over-promising.
That was drilled into all of us by IVAR’s co-founder, the architect and guiding spirit of our approach, Margaret Harris.
So the challenge is to deliver a speech that celebrates an organisation that many of us love, and have happily worked with and alongside for years — without breaking the sacred code.
Let’s begin with the purpose — which starts with our name: Institute for Voluntary Action Research.
Some of you — forgive me if you’ve heard this mildly embarrassing story — will know that I once found myself at a conference in Atlanta, shortly after we’d moved from our start-up home at Aston Business School. I was on a panel with very grown-up leaders of international research bodies.
Someone commented — I won’t attempt the accent — “Your name, I love the double meaning.”
And… silence.
My face went from blank to blanker.
“Voluntary Action. Action Research.”
That double meaning — yes, it’s very special.
But the story aside, the truth is that our name, once I understood it, has always grounded us. We’re interested in, we value, we’re passionate about supporting and challenging voluntary action. And we use action research — collaborative, practical, problem-solving research — to do that.
Retaining that focus and that approach has been ensured through the principled oversight of our brilliant trustees — many of whom, past and present, are here today.
Guided by our wonderful treasurer, Tim Jones — kind, calculated, precise, patient — and led by our truly exceptional chairs: Julian Ashby, who really set the tone for our governance; his wonderful and much-missed successor Jane Hatfield; Sam Briar, who stood in during the final stages of Jane’s illness and exuded that beautiful blend of calm and irreverence; and now Kamna, who’s brought a different kind of energy — ambitious, urgent, clear-eyed, unsentimental.
(That’s your job, Ben, is one of her favourite things to say.)
Our trustees have always reminded us of one simple truth: relevance is everything. That discipline has kept us sharp — constantly asking, Are we useful? Are we making a difference?
For now, we’re still confident that we should keep going.
But we don’t have a divine right to exist. That’s why it’s so important to keep asking: What’s kept us going?
And that’s the core of what keeps IVAR… IVAR.
Theme Two: Hospitality
Let’s go back to Atlanta.
The final question to us all on that panel was: What’s the magic ingredient for a successful research centre?
I was fourth in line, so I could go with the leftovers: doctoral students, world-class research, open-access library…
Generous hospitality.
Is that British humour?
But there’s a serious point: the warmth of the welcome — the human side.
Hospitality is absolutely core. It’s at the heart of what we try to do and how we try to do it as an organisation.
Because for us, it’s about inclusion and collaboration. It’s about creating a space where people feel welcome, equal, and able to work together on hard problems.
To borrow the phrase of my friend and colleague Shaady Salehi at the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project — ready to work as partners in service of change.
Theme Three: Open and Trusting Grant Making
Is IVAR the Rick Astley of the voluntary sector?
And finally — inevitably — Open and Trusting grant making, and specifically multi-year funding.
Have I spent so much of my life arguing for this because I haven’t been able to come up with another idea? Very possibly. Like a one-hit wonder; is IVAR the Rick Astley of the voluntary sector?
But it’s not just me. It’s not just IVAR anymore. And actually, it’s not just a small handful of funders (many of whom are in this room) who get it, or who have the resources and opportunities to get it.
All across the UK, people are beginning to give it a go — or recommitting to sticking with it — because they recognise at a moment of such instability, such polarisation, when upheaval is the norm and we’re all swimming in murky waters, they recognise that the freedom to experiment, to take wrong turns, to make your own choices about how you spend your money, is an essential ingredient of a healthy civil society.
And if we’ve played even a small part in that shift — through research and persuasion — then I think we can say, at this quarter-century point, as we ask ourselves whether it’s been worth it, that yes, in some small way, it has.
So, with thanks to Rick, we can commit that we are never going to give it up.
I’m very lucky to have had the opportunity to lead this strange and hard-to-describe organisation.
The task is made possible by the loving, talented people around IVAR — staff, associates, partners; by the unstinting loyalty and companionship of our core funders, all of whom have committed to what Trevor Pears calls mission funding.
Our work is also made possible by the thousands of people and organisations whose lives and work we have been privileged to witness and support — many of whom I’m delighted are in the room today.
They are why we do what we do.
Thank you, everyone — and enjoy the rest of the night.
Kamna Muralidharan, Chair of Trustees
We believe the single most crucial barrier charities face is the funding system, and this is where IVAR can have the most impact going forward. We are becoming a bolder voice for reforming that system.
It’s a real privilege to be here with you today. As a charity leader myself, I know the commitment and sheer grit it takes to do this work. And as the Chair of IVAR’s Board, it’s an even greater honour to be associated with this remarkable organisation as we mark our 25th anniversary.
Look around the room. Every person here has been a crucial part of IVAR’s journey, whether you are a funder who believed in our mission, a dedicated team member, or one of the countless partner charities whose insight shapes everything we do. Thank you for being here tonight, and for being part of this movement.
Over the past quarter-century, our charity has held firm to a core set of values. We were founded with a belief in the importance of rigour: in research, in reflection, in action. And crucially, we’ve always centred the experiences, insights, and needs of small charities. That hasn’t changed.
What has changed, of course, is the world around us: the political and economic environment, and what that means for charities. Against that backdrop, IVAR has adapted the language we use, and the way we are using our voice: speaking more urgently, more loudly, and with greater insistence on the changes charities tell us they need.
But the heart of our mission remains: to learn, to support, and to stand alongside the organisations doing vital work in their communities, often with limited resources and unarguably under immense pressure.
We have been lucky to be part of so many charities’ stories, many of whom are here today, and we see your commitment every day.
To celebrate our anniversary, our team and trustees chose 25 charities to receive a £250 grant towards staff wellbeing. It’s a small gesture, but one that recognises how hard it can be to make space for wellbeing when you’re writing bids, meeting demand and keeping the lights on.
This list tells a story about the strength and diversity of our sector. It includes groups like Refugee Futures, which helps newly arrived asylum seekers feel at home in Stockton; Glasgow’s Govan Law Project, which gives free legal advice and campaigns for people facing domestic abuse, poverty and discrimination; and Amberleigh in Islington, which brings the power of drumming and dancing to children in its community.
It’s because of examples like this that IVAR keeps doing what it’s doing.
But we don’t take our position for granted. We constantly test ourselves on our usefulness and relevance. Are we helping others do their work better? Are we making space for honest conversations? Are we showing up where it matters?
In times where division often feels easier than collaboration, IVAR’s role is not only to build knowledge, but to build bridges, across perspectives, across experiences, and across differences. We strive to be a constant partner, advocate, and sense-maker for the voluntary sector, creating a space to listen, work things out, build connections, and move forward.
We have always seen ourselves as a facilitator, partner, and conduit, never a prescriber. We don’t tell you what to do; we help you find the best way forward together.
I love the way someone involved in our work on health inequalities in Cumbria once put it: they said IVAR was like a drawstring bag, joining things up, bringing people together. That’s what we aim to be.
In times where division often feels easier than collaboration, IVAR’s role is not only to build knowledge, but to build bridges, across perspectives, across experiences, and across differences.
As we turn 25, we’re entering a new era. We believe the single most crucial barrier charities face is the funding system, and this is where IVAR can have the most impact going forward. We are becoming a bolder voice for reforming that system.
Through our Open and Trusting initiative, we have shown change is possible. Funders, from tiny local grant-makers to centuries-old foundations, have changed their practices, demonstrating that we can build relationships based on trust, not transaction.
This work is critical because it fundamentally strengthens the power and resilience of the charities we serve.
Tonight is a chance to celebrate the work that’s come before us, and to look ahead to what’s next.
I want to thank all of you for being here, your support, your energy, and your belief in what we’re trying to do means more than you know. And to the incredible IVAR team and my fellow trustees, thank you. For your commitment, your creativity, and your refusal to settle for easy answers. You are what makes this work possible.
As we look to the future, we recommit to strengthening charities, challenging the funding system, and ensuring IVAR stays healthy, hopeful, and fit for purpose.
Here’s to the next chapter, grounded in the same values, but always evolving.
Finally, let me end where we began, by celebrating the charities in this room. You are the reason IVAR exists and the reason we keep going.
