Almanac 2014: the first 1,000 hours

On 4 April (just over 1,000 hours ago), we launched the UK Civil Society Almanac 2014. Here’s a round up of what’s happened since we launched.

Exclusive member content

NCVO members receive a free copy of the Almanac, and these have recently been posted to those that have requested them. If you haven’t requested your copy then you can find out more on our publication pages. There’s also a guide for members showing the ways that you can use the Almanac in your work [you’ll need to log in]. Notes from the launch event are also available.

But we’ve also started to release some exclusive content for members. Joe Heywood has written the first fascinating post, looking in more detail at underemployment in the sector, and whether the number of people who work part-time but want to work more hours is increasing, and how it compares to the public and private sectors.

Getting the word out

We’ve been really pleased with the response to the Almanac, both in terms of press coverage but more importantly from members and others using the data in their work. I’d particularly point to the post by Gavin at the Institute for Government and Gareth’s summary for Volunteer Centre Westminster.

I’ve also been lucky enough to speak at a number of events around the UK about the Almanac since the launch. The ONS event this week on the contribution of the nonprofit sector to the national accounts gave some interesting food for thought, while I also enjoyed Involve Yorkshire and Humber’s “Data Matters” event.

I’d particularly flag up Alison Haskin’s presentation on why data matters to her organisation (NOVA in Wakefield). It’s a compelling account of how data can make a difference to an organisation, and in this case even contributing to an organisation being created.

What’s next

We’ve got more exclusive member content coming up, including more blog posts exploring findings in detail, and updates to the regional and subsector profiles we produced for the last Almanac.

There’s also a workshop at the Evolve conference in June, which will build on the Almanac data and other research to ask where the sector is heading next. If you haven’t booked you place at Evolve yet then you can book now (select “PM2” to attend the workshop).