Guest post: Help us prove the worth of the women’s sector

Sarah Brown is head of communications at the Women’s Resource Centre.

UPDATE: The survey is now open until March 14, and can be accessed in three parts here, here and here.

Women's Resource Centre logoIt’s never easy for the women’s sector!

At the best of times, funding for organisations supporting and lobbying for women can be scant and unreliable, but with the current economic climate these already tenuous links are becoming even more fragile.

Despite this often precarious existence, women’s groups have responded with impressive resilience and resourcefulness, whether by harnessing social media as a lobbying tool, or by developing enterprising methods of raising their own income in order to stay afloat.

Nonetheless, at the moment funding from public bodies is likely to decrease because of the recession, and we need more than ever to demonstrate the power and importance of the women’s sector.

To do this, the Women’s Resource Centre is planning to produce a landmark report to demonstrate to the government and funders the vital role women’s organisations play and the need for such groups and to help compile it we have a questionnaire we need members of women’s organisations to complete.

We want to make sure that we are collecting information on a number of issues:

• the impact of the recession on the work of women’s groups

• bidding for public service contracts

• the work you do to make change in your local area

• the support you get from the WRC

By completing this questionnaire you will play a vital role in our research. And what’s more, all completed questionnaires – where full contact details are provided – will be entered into our prize draw! There will be two £100 prizes for your organisation or another not-for-profit or social enterprise of your choice.

The WRC aims to be accessible and inclusive. If you would prefer, this questionnaire can be completed over the phone. To arrange this, please contact Sue Christoforou on: Email: suechristoforou[at]wrc.org.uk, Ph: 020 7324 3030.

The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete. All responses will be anonymous, so there will be no way for your answers to be traced back to you.

The survey closes 28 February 2010. If you would like to respond to the survey but think you may have problems meeting the deadline, please contact us.