Fieldwork for Third Sector Trends in England and Wales 2025 concluded on 30th September and received 8,680 valid and complete responses. The first report on findings is published today.

The point of this study is to give an independent and balanced picture built upon what voluntary organisations tell us. And contrary to many ‘alarmist’ reports about sector crises, we’re finding a voluntary sector that is much more capable, confident, well resourced, resilient and impactful than many might expect.

Certainly, some organisations are struggling at the moment (and we’ll be able to show who’s more likely to be at risk and why as the research progresses) but most are getting on well while some are thriving.

The first report is available here: . Relationships, influencing and collaborative working – Third Sector Trends in England and Wales 2025 (October 2025)

A series of reports will follow – titles may change a little, but this provides an idea of what they will cover:

People, work, ambition and impact (to be published late November 2025)

Income, assets, financial wellbeing and outlook (to be published early January 2026)

Sector dynamics in the context of place (to be published February 2026)

How voluntary organisations contribute to community vitality (to be published March 2026)

There will also be a special report on The voluntary sector in Wales – which will be published in February 2026. Other localised reports are likely to follow.

Two other background reports are also published today. 

The first is a qualitative study of 50 voluntary organisations which ran for 15 years and has been updated in 2025. Going the distance – how third sector organisations work through turbulent times [New Edition October 2025].

The second report explains how the study was done: Third Sector Trends in England and Wales 2025: technical paper on research methodology and sample structure.

If you’d like more information about the project please click here