National Association for Voluntary and Community Action

What National Association for Voluntary and Community Action does

NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action) is a UK-registered charity and company limited by guarantee founded in 1991 and headquartered in Sheffield, England. It operates as the national membership body for local infrastructure organisations (LIOs) and volunteer centres in England, supporting a network of approximately 180 member organisations whose combined work reaches an estimated 165,000 charities and community groups and engages roughly 3,650 staff. Its functional role is to provide national representation, policy advocacy, quality accreditation, training, and shared infrastructure to members that operate at the local level across volunteering, community development, health, and equality, diversity and inclusion.

The organisation's core product is the Member Hub, a members-only portal that delivers resource libraries, event registration, networking forums, and job and trustee role advertising. Supplementary products include the LIQA (Local Infrastructure Quality Accreditation) and VCQA (Volunteer Centre Quality Accreditation) programmes, the AI for Small Charities Train the Trainer Toolkit, the Allyship Champions Programme, the Volunteering Doesn't Happen by Accident campaign toolkit, and curated resources on cyber security, EEDI, health and wellbeing, and policy research. The technology layer is modest: the Member Hub is a standard membership portal rather than a differentiated software platform, and the AI toolkit is positioned as enablement material rather than a proprietary model.

NAVCA's revenue model is built on annual membership subscriptions from LIOs and volunteer centres (fees not publicly disclosed), supplemented by fee-for-service income from non-member job advertising at £150 plus VAT per listing, the Allyship Programme at £250 per participant, and pass-through grant distribution (e.g., £665,000 for Centres for Warmth and £625,000 for cost-of-living support) on behalf of partners. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored by an annual conference and recurring network groups (Barking Owl for communications, Volunteering Network, Anti-Racist Group, Climate Network). Customers are horizontally segmented non-profit LIOs and volunteer centres; statutory partners (DCMS, MHCLG, DHSC/NHS England) are policy and grant stakeholders rather than fee-paying customers.

Name

National Association for Voluntary and Community Action

Legal name

National Association for Voluntary and Community Action

Website

https://navca.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NAVCA is a UK national membership charity that supports 180 local infrastructure organisations across England, providing policy advocacy, quality accreditation (LIQA, VCQA), training programmes, and resource toolkits to a network reaching 165,000 charities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Voluntary and community sector infrastructure support

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management & Needs Assessment (BPADADAL), Donor Coordination & Aid Effectiveness (BPADAOAA)

Keywords

• Membership services
• Voluntary sector infrastructure
• Community capacity building
• Policy advocacy
• Quality accreditation

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheffield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Annual membership fees for local infrastructure organisations and volunteer centres. Members receive access to resources, networking opportunities, accreditation programmes, and the Member Hub platform.
2. Job advertising: Free job and trustee role advertising for members. Non-members pay £150 plus VAT per listing for job and trustee role advertisements on the website.
3. Allyship Programme: 12-month structured programme combining training, peer learning, and facilitated networking. Programme costs £250 per participant from member organisations.
4. Grant funding and distributions: NAVCA distributes funding on behalf of partners, including £665,000 for Centres for Warmth and £625,000 for cost of living support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NAVCA is a national membership body that supports approximately 180 local infrastructure organisations (LIOs) and volunteer centres across England, providing them with policy advocacy, quality accreditation (LIQA and VCQA), training toolkits, and a Member Hub digital platform for resource access, networking, event sign-ups, and job advertising. Through its member network, NAVCA indirectly supports around 165,000 charities and community groups, and it also distributes grant funding on behalf of partners (e.g., £665,000 for Centres for Warmth and £625,000 for cost of living support).

Product overview

NAVCA is a membership organization providing a unified platform of support services to local voluntary and community sector infrastructure organisations across England. The core offering consists of the Member Hub portal, which provides access to resource libraries, events, networking, and job advertising. Supporting products include Quality Accreditation Programs (LIQA and VCQA), specialized resource toolkits on topics including AI for small charities, volunteering, health and wellbeing, EEDI, cyber security, and policy research. The organization does not operate as a software platform but rather as a membership-based network providing guidance, training materials, accreditation, and advocacy services to approximately 180 member organisations supporting 165,000 charities and community groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Member Hub Member-only online portal providing access to resources, event listings, networking forums, and job advertisement capabilities for the approximately 180 NAVCA member organisations (local infrastructure organisations and volunteer centres) across England.
• Quality Accreditation Programmes (LIQA and VCQA) Quality accreditation programmes, comprising LIQA (Local Infrastructure Quality Accreditation) for local infrastructure organisations and VCQA (Volunteer Centre Quality Accreditation) for volunteer centres, providing formal quality assurance for member organisations.
• Allyship Champions Programme A 12-month structured programme combining training, peer learning, and facilitated networking on equality, diversity and inclusion, offered to staff from NAVCA member organisations at a fee of £250 per participant.
• Job and Trustee Role Advertising Online advertising service for paid job and trustee roles on the NAVCA website. Listings are free for member organisations, while non-members pay £150 plus VAT per job or trustee role listing.
• AI for Small Charities Train the Trainer Toolkit A free collection of PowerPoint presentations, guidance documents, training materials, promotional templates, and session plans that enable NAVCA member organisations to deliver AI training courses to small charities.
• Policy and Research Publications Member briefings, research reports, and policy documents covering devolution, local government reorganisation, health and wellbeing, and wider voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector issues, available to NAVCA members.
• Grant Distribution Service Managed grant distribution service through which NAVCA administers and disburses funding on behalf of partner organisations, including £665,000 to fund Centres for Warmth and £625,000 to fund cost of living support delivered via its member network across England.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of NAVCA members advertised or promoted volunteering opportunities (2021-22)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Access InsuranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAccess Insurance is listed as a working partner, providing insurance services and guidance to NAVCA members. Resources include guides on reputational risk management, cyber insurance, and contractual liability.
• National Cyber Security CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAVCA partnered with the National Cyber Security Centre to develop a Train the Trainer scheme and resource collection on cyber security for local infrastructure organisations.
• Eden Project CommunitiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Big Help Out and Big Lunch initiatives, enabling NAVCA members to participate in community engagement campaigns.
• VCS Emergencies Partnership (VCSEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAVCA works with VCSEP on emergency planning and response, including guidance on community resilience, far-right violence response, and winter support.
• Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)coreOthersNAVCA engages with DCMS on Civil Society Covenant, volunteering research, and policy influencing. DCMS has commissioned research into local civil society infrastructure.
• Department of Health and Social Care / NHS EnglandcoreOthersNAVCA participates in neighbourhood health agenda discussions, 10 Year Health Plan consultations, and Health and Wellbeing Alliance activities.
• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)coreOthersNAVCA engages with MHCLG on devolution, local government reorganisation, and Pride in Place strategy, acting as statutory consultee.
• Good FinanceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership providing e-learning programmes on social investment, including Social Investment Unpicked, Due Diligence modules, and Investment Committees of the Future.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• UK Community Foundations: UK Community Foundations is the membership body for community foundation grantmakers in the UK, adjacent to NAVCA through shared grantmaking distribution networks and VCSE-sector infrastructure overlap.
• Charity Commission for England and Wales: The Charity Commission is the regulator of charities in England and Wales, an ecosystem-level stakeholder for NAVCA's members and a frequent partner on transparency and governance resources.
• Lloyds Bank Foundation: Lloyds Bank Foundation is a major grant-funder for small and medium UK charities, comparable as a VCSE funding ecosystem participant that NAVCA members frequently interface with.

Emerging players

• Small Charities Coalition: Small Charities Coalition supports small UK charities with practical tools, training, and resources — an emerging niche player that intersects with NAVCA's member-base support work but without the federated infrastructure remit.

Direct peers

• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO): NCVO is the leading national membership body for the VCSE sector in England and the most direct peer to NAVCA, offering overlapping policy advocacy, research, and member support services to charities and voluntary organisations.
• Locality: Locality is a national UK membership network for community-led organisations, social enterprises, and local infrastructure bodies, directly comparable to NAVCA in serving LIOs with similar tools, training, and advocacy support.
• Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO): ACEVO is a UK membership association for leaders of charities and social enterprises, providing networking, training, and advocacy — a closely comparable membership-model peer for NAVCA in the VCSE infrastructure space.

Regional players

• Volunteer Scotland: Volunteer Scotland is the national centre for volunteering in Scotland and directly comparable to NAVCA's volunteering and volunteer-centre accreditation remit, just under a different national jurisdiction.
• Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA): WCVA is the national umbrella body for voluntary organisations in Wales and the closest geographic counterpart to NAVCA, performing the same federation, advocacy, and capacity-building role on a country-level basis.
• Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO): SCVO is the membership body for Scotland's VCSE sector, offering equivalent policy, training, and member services to NAVCA but operating under a separate jurisdiction and devolved policy framework.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NAVCA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/navca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Association for Voluntary and Community Action