The Big Society: Challenges and opportunities for membership organisations

26th Oct 2010; 18:00

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RSA Keynote

In the context of deep public service austerity and the drive for a Big Society, membership organisations are facing the best of times and the worst of times. What are the principles which will carry these organisations through this time of turmoil?

What matters is not the sector they are in but the philosophy they represent. One vital dimension concerns engagement, responsiveness and accountability. How civil society honours its ethos and commitment to a rich idea of citizenship and adapt to the expectations, aspirations and abilities of today’s citizens to create real social change, exploiting the opportunities afforded by social media?

Over the last few years there has been great innovation in fundraising and mass communication, but much less in forms of governance. This leaves an implicit dichotomy between a transactional service model and an often unwieldy representative structure.

The Big Society needs institutional innovation. Civil society can be the source of this innovation (and in some cases it is already), but innovation requires organisations to be honest about the challenges and priorities. How can the inevitable tensions between service delivery and advocacy, between professionals, members, volunteers and supporters be dealt with productively and lead to creative solutions for civil society?

RSA Chief Executive Matthew Taylor explores ways of driving real change for members and membership organisations, with a focus on RSA initiatives.

Respondents: Sir Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive, National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Dame Fiona Reynolds DBE, Director-General, National Trust.

Chair: Madeleine Bunting, Guardian columnist and associate editor

Organised with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)

Suggested hashtag for Twitter users: #rsancvo

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