State of the Sector 2026: What We Heard, What We Learned and What Happens Next

Derbyshire’s voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector is supporting thousands of people every day, improving wellbeing, reducing isolation, building stronger communities and helping prevent problems escalating into crisis.

But it is also operating in an increasingly challenging environment.

To better understand the reality facing organisations across Derbyshire, DVA launched its State of the Sector Survey 2026 and brought together more than 35 organisations at our Health & Wellbeing Forum to explore the findings, share experiences and identify what needs to happen next.

The Scale of Our Impact

The survey revealed the remarkable contribution being made by Derbyshire’s VCFSE sector.

In just six months, responding organisations reported supporting:

• 15,528 individuals
• 492 community and voluntary groups

The survey also highlighted the preventative role being played by local organisations:

• 69% improve wellbeing
• 69% reduce isolation
• 47% build community resilience
• 40% actively prevent crisis
• 40% directly support health services

These figures reinforce something many of us already know – community organisations are often the first point of support for people experiencing isolation, poor mental health, financial hardship and long-term health conditions.

The Challenges We Cannot Ignore

The survey and forum discussions highlighted four major pressures affecting organisations across Derbyshire.

Rising Demand

Nearly two-thirds of organisations reported rising demand, driven primarily by:

• Isolation
• Mental health
• Health inequalities

At the same time, organisations are supporting people with increasingly complex needs.

Capacity Pressures

Almost 60% of organisations reported operating with little or no spare capacity.

Many organisations described balancing growing demand while struggling to maintain existing services.

Volunteer Sustainability

Volunteer recruitment and retention emerged as a major concern.

Almost half of organisations reported difficulties recruiting volunteers, while many highlighted burnout and capacity pressures among existing volunteers and staff.

Funding Insecurity

The clearest message from the survey was around funding.

78% of organisations identified sustainable funding as their biggest support need.

Organisations described short-term funding arrangements, rising costs and increasing competition for limited funding opportunities.

What We Heard From The Sector

Despite the challenges, the conversations were overwhelmingly focused on solutions and opportunities.

Three themes emerged strongly throughout the forum:

Collaboration, Not Competition

Participants called for more networking opportunities, shared resources, better communication and stronger partnership working.

Demonstrate Our Value

Organisations highlighted the need to better evidence impact, demonstrate social value and communicate the contribution the VCFSE sector makes to communities and wider systems.

As one participant put it:

“We need to come out of the shadows.”

Strengthen Our Collective Voice

There was a strong desire to improve visibility, strengthen relationships with decision-makers and ensure the VCFSE sector is recognised as a key partner in neighbourhood working and system transformation.