Dr Lindsay Cordery-Bruce, WCVA’s CEO sets out why Wales needs a shared Vision for Voluntary Action – and how organisations across the sector can help shape a clearer, collective direction for the future.
Across Wales, we know that voluntary organisations, community groups and volunteers are doing extraordinary work every day.
They’re supporting people through difficult moments, strengthening communities, creating opportunities and often holding things together where wider systems fall short.
It’s not easy work. It’s complex, often under pressure and rarely straightforward. But it’s also creative, resilient and full of energy.
And it happens everywhere.
The voluntary sector in Wales is hugely diverse, with organisations of different sizes, rooted in different places, shaped by different communities, cultures and identities. Whether working at neighbourhood level or on national issues, the range is enormous.
But for all that diversity, there is also a lot we share.
The ongoing challenge of finding sustainable funding. The need for strong governance and volunteers. The reality of working alongside public services. And the pressures that come from regulation and rising demand.
Different organisations, different communities – but often very similar experiences.
That mix of diversity and shared challenge is one of the sector’s greatest strengths. It gives us reach, creativity and insight that is hard to find anywhere else.
It also raises an important question.
What more could we achieve if we were clearer about where we’re heading together?
CREATING SOMETHING WE CAN USE TOGETHER
Over the coming months, WCVA will be working with partners across the sector to develop a shared Vision for Voluntary Action in Wales, alongside our own Strategy for 2027 to 2031.
This isn’t about producing a document that sits on a shelf, it’s about creating something that people can actually use – a shared sense of direction that organisations, communities, funders and partners can recognise, connect with and draw on.
Something that helps us come together around the things that enable us all to do good, and to do it well.
CO-PRODUCED AND CO-OWNED
This is really important. This Vision won’t belong to WCVA, because it will be co-produced with the sector – and it will be co-owned by the sector.
No single organisation can define the future of voluntary action in Wales. And no single organisation can deliver it. But together, we can shape something that reflects the reality and diversity of communities across Wales, while giving us a stronger shared sense of direction.
That means taking the time to listen properly. Bringing in different voices. Making space for challenge and new ideas. And making sure that what we create feels grounded, relevant and genuinely useful.
BEING CLEAR ABOUT OUR ROLE
Alongside this shared Vision, WCVA will develop its own Strategy, and it’s important to be clear about the difference.
The Vision is about the future we are all working towards, while WCVA’s Strategy is about how we play our part in that – where we focus, how we work and how we support the sector to achieve the impact it wants to see.
One is shared. The other is ours.
But! Both need to sit alongside each other and work together.
WHY THIS MATTERS NOW
The challenges facing communities across Wales are not ones any organisation can solve alone.
But the voluntary sector has always been at its strongest when people come together – through partnerships, shared effort and a willingness to step up when it matters most.
If we want to build on that, and go further, we need a clearer sense of direction and a stronger way of bringing people with us.
This is an opportunity to do that – together.
GET INVOLVED
This work will be shaped through conversations across Wales, both in person and online, and over the coming months, we’ll be hosting and joining a range of events and discussions, including:
- WCVA Partners’ Forum | Online | Wednesday 15 July
- Royal Welsh Agricultural Show | Powys | Tues 21 July
- Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru | Pembrokeshire | Weds 5 August
- WCVA Partners’ Forum | Wrexham | date TBC
- WCVA Partners’ Forum | Mid-Wales | date TBC
We want to hear from as wide a range of voices as possible – organisations of all sizes, different communities, and different perspectives. If you’d like to be involved, you can also get in touch directly at policy@wcva.cymru
A SHARED EFFORT
This is an open invitation
To help shape something that genuinely belongs to the sector.
To help create a vision we can all recognise and stand behind.
And to be part of something ambitious about the future of voluntary action in Wales.
Because while no single organisation can achieve that on its own, together we can get much closer.