This document sets out and affirms the contribution of the community and voluntary sector to society. It is a movement that reaches into and impacts all sectors and areas of Irish life and society, in the process promoting the common interest and improving our communities.

The community and voluntary sector forms a very significant and under-acknowledged part of the Irish economy and society, comprising 11,500 community and voluntary organisations, more than half a million volunteers, over 100,000 staff and with a combined turnover of €5.7 billion a year. Community and voluntary organisations provide human, social and community services in all key areas of our national life. They are active in relation to: arts; culture; wellbeing; sport; literacy; community development; education; children; housing; employment; domestic violence; marriage support; inter-culturalism; LGBT; older people; environment; legal rights; animal rights; overseas development; Travellers; health; suicide; disability; social care; end of life care; volunteering; and social justice. Collectively such organisations, and many like them, comprise the community and voluntary sector.

Its aims and delivery are multi-fold and include encouraging community ownership and empowering individuals and communities; assisting with flexibility and collaboration in delivery of key community services; providing a responsive approach to identifying and meeting needs, while working effectively to promote and deliver social cohesion.

In the process the sector provides and inspires additional resources of funding, energy, endeavour and commitment that is simply not - and never will be - available to the state. This ‘resource’ is what we call Societal Value. A priority for public policy must be to ensure the creation of an enabling ecosystem to sustain and enhance Societal Value, now and into the future. A key factor in acknowledging and promoting Societal Value will be a recognition that the current drift towards a commissioning or funding model that focuses exclusively on minimising public spending and cost to the state risks seriously compromising quality and effectiveness of services. Reductions in funding and viewing organisations as mere service providers, while their social role remains unacknowledged, threatens the viability and capacity of the entire community and voluntary sector and undermines its unique ability to deliver Societal Value.