NAVCA, the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action, is the national body for local support and development organisations in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Local support and development organisations are often known as Voluntary Action, Community Action or Council for Voluntary Service

Council for Voluntary Service

A Council for Voluntary Service is a type of charity in England. CVSs are "the place at which local voluntary and community organisations speak to each other"...

. These organisations champion and strengthen local charities, voluntary organisations and community groups by providing them with support, information and funding advice.

NAVCA is a registered charity (1001635), based in Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

, and was previously called the National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service (NACVS). Its Chief Executive is Kevin Curley

Membership

NAVCA has approximately 290 full members and 60 affiliates, that work with over 160,000 organisations. These cover almost every local authority area in England and provide advice, support and services to charities in their local area. NAVCA's members are all listed in the NAVCA directory of members and local contacts.

Purpose

NAVCA’s stated purpose is to promote the local third sector nationally.
It does this by providing its members with information, advice, networking and learning opportunities, support and development services and in turn it draws on its members' experience to influence government and contribute to national policy .

History

The Councils for Voluntary Service National Association was a project of NCVO. In 1991 this project became independent and was named the National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service (NACVS). In June 2006 NACVS was renamed the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA). NAVCA is a strategic partner of the Cabinet Office's Office of the Third Sector.