Get sector insights to support your decision making
Matthew Brown, Deputy Chief Executive at WCVA, introduces Baromedr Cymru, the new Welsh voluntary sector barometer and how signing up can help you and your organisation.
Something new is coming this Autumn. We’re really excited about the upcoming launch of Baromedr Cymru, a rolling data source that will give us an up-to-date picture of what’s really happening across the voluntary sector in Wales.
By signing up, In return for a small amount of time each quarter, you will received personalised data that could be a game-changer in your decision making.
Baromedr Cymru will draw on input from a core group of people working and volunteering in voluntary organisations up and down the country. We’re calling on people to sign up now and be part of the first Wales-wide Baromedr in October.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
Access to Baromedr Cymru will give you evidence to back up your funding applications and conversations with stakeholders and decision makers:
Every organisation that contributes will receive a personalised dashboard, showing how your responses compare to others across the sector. It’s a useful way to reflect, benchmark and plan.
You’ll also have access to a sector-wide dashboard showing sector trends and how they’ve changed over time.
Each quarterly ‘wave’ will be accompanied by a short report, highlighting findings and digging deeper into areas of particular interest. As a contributor you’ll be the first to receive this.
As the data builds over time, other insights will be at your disposal too. We’ll work with researchers and academics to carry out more in-depth analysis – helping us all understand what’s changing, what’s working, and what needs action.
WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE?
For those signed up, Baromedr Cymru will involve a short, quarterly survey asking organisations in Wales about:
Your financial position
Volunteer and staffing pressures
Demand for services
Confidence about the future
Plus a rotating section on ‘hot topics’ or areas we want to explore in more depth
Each organisation responds just once per quarter, typically via a staff member or volunteer who understands how the organisation is doing. It takes around 10–15 minutes to complete.
HOW TO TAKE PART
Step one is simple: set up a profile for your organisation. You only need to do this once. After that, you’ll receive a short survey each quarter – and your personalised dashboard in return.
Creating a profile gives us key information – like where you work, your area of focus, and your size – so that we can build a more detailed picture of the sector by geography, theme or type of organisation.
You’ll only need to review this profile once a year. And if your organisation is a registered charity or if we already hold some information about you, we’ll do even more of the heavy lifting – pre-filling details for you to simply check and confirm.
Sign up now to be part of the first Wales-wide Baromedr in October.
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
At a time when voluntary organisations across Wales are under real pressure, we need strong, regular evidence to show what’s happening on the ground.
Baromedr Cymru will help:
Make the case to government and funders
Shape smarter support and services
Track changes over time and spot emerging issues
Ensure our collective experiences influence decisions that affect you
This isn’t research for its own sake. It’s evidence with purpose – and with you at the centre.
We will also be rolling all our insights work into Baromedr Cymru, reducing the number of different surveys we produce. That means fewer asks from us – and better-quality data for you and for the wider sector.
LET’S BUILD SOMETHING BETTER – TOGETHER
Baromedr Cymru is about strengthening our voice as a sector. We want to reduce duplication, share insight, and make sure voluntary organisations in Wales are seen, heard and understood.
So join us. Share your organisation’s experience. And help shape the future.