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STATE OF THE SECTOR - OUR FIRST FINDINGS

The first phase of our project to understand the strengths and challenges of voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations across Devon shows a landscape of small groups, many operating with little to no reserves, with a strong focus on delivering support directly to individuals and a holistic approach to community support.  

We are working in partnership with Devon County Council to look at published data and generate new insights to paint an authoritative picture of the VCSE sector in Devon, including Plymouth and Torbay.

As part of this, last year we launched a State of the Sector survey aimed at registered charities and social enterprises based in Devon. We received around 250 responses to the survey and have now published our first release, sharing data from the survey and drawing out some of the immediate insights. These include:

  • A strong focus on providing direct support to individuals, with 41 per cent of respondents indicating this as their primary way of working.
  • A holistic approach to community support; around half of respondents told us they do not focus on a specific group but work with the community as a whole.
  • Most organisations are extremely localised, with almost half working within a 10-mile radius.
  • The majority of Devon’s registered charities and social enterprises are small and some are very small – 78 per cent of respondents have an annual income of under £250,000 and half have an annual income of £50,000 or less.
  • The level of financial reserves varies significantly by organisation size and type – 80 per cent of charities reported holding reserves compared to fewer than half of CICs. A third of the total respondents told us they hold no financial reserves and 58 per cent have fewer than six months’ worth of reserves.
  • Almost a third of organisations described their current priority as “surviving”.
Some of the voluntary, community and social enterprise groups funded by Devon Community Foundation in 2024
Read more of our State of the Sector findings

If you have any comments or questions about the project please email Nicola Frost: nfrost@devoncf.com.

Find out more about our insight and learning