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EnglishArabicBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CroatianCzechDanishDutchEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchGermanGreekHindiHungarianIgboItalianJapaneseKoreanKurdish (Kurmanji)LatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalayMalteseNepaliNorwegianPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSerbianSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSudaneseSwahiliSwedishThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduVietnameseWelshYorubaOne of the things I love most about working in the voluntary sector is that if you have a really good idea you can generally find a way to make it happen. It might take a while – things like our State of the Sector and Civil Economy work were on my wishlist for years before we were finally able to publish the finished work. But sometimes you can be taken by surprise at how fast you can go from the idea to it actually happening.
I’ve just come back from being on the BBC Breakfast sofa talking about volunteering. As is always the case with these things, it’s all very rushed and last minute and it’s over in a flash. Actually that’s one of good things in a sense because it gives you less time to panic! It was a great opportunity to fly the flag for volunteering in the middle of Volunteers Week and to talk about the sheer wealth of volunteering which happens in Manchester, as one exampleof the amazing work of volunteers across the whole country.
Could Manchester be Europe’s answer to America’s hippest city - Portland, Oregon?
Manchester has enjoyed solid economic success, there is now an opportunity for a ‘new wave’ to Manchester’s future. A new report A Civil Economy for Manchester, prepared for Macc by the think-do tank the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) demonstrates how this new wave is about unleashing the power of citizens, social and voluntary group.
As you may be aware, earlier this year the City Council launched a competitive tendering process for the contract to provide support to the city's voluntary and community sector for the next three years.
We are delighted to announce that Macc has been awarded this contract.
I've mentioned previously that there's a danger that this blog becomes a series of rants about things I'm angry about. Well not today, at least!
Our State of the Voluntary Sector report shows there are over 3000 voluntary and community groups in Manchester. I don't know them all but I do know a lot of them and one of the great pleasures of my job is that I get to see some of the amazing things happening in groups across Manchester and meet some fantastic people.
1. In 2012/13 there were 3,093 community and voluntary organisations, co-operatives and social enterprises in Manchester
2. In 2012/13 the total income of the sector was £477 million
3. Medium and large organisations receive 95% of the total sector income
4. 1,987 organisations are micro (with an annual income under £10 thousand)
5. There are 94,300 volunteers in the sector
6. Volunteers give 370,000 hours each week
7. The contribution of volunteers in the sector is valued at £332 million each year
This morning I was in the happy position of being able to present our new research into the state of the voluntary sector in Manchester. It has been a long-held ambition of mine to be able to show the full extent of the enormous contribution which voluntary organisations, community groups, social enterprises and the community work of faith groups make to the city.
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