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Reports
We publish a range of research and analysis reports that help policy-makers, academics, funders, the media and people in the voluntary sector. These reports serve to increase understanding about how the sector works, how impact and change happens and how active citizenship lies at the root of everything the sector is and stands for.
Your Voice – The Wheel's Advocacy Survey 2026
‘Your Voice’ 2026 is the sixth survey of The Wheel’s members undertaken since 2019 that focuses on policy and advocacy issues. The primary aim of this survey is to provide a voice to our members, to identify the key challenges they face and to understand their priorities for the coming year. This means we can more effectively advocate for the needs of our large and diverse membership.
Published in 2026
Literacy, Numeracy, and Digital Literacy Needs in the Community and Voluntary Sector: An Exploratory Study (2024)
This report presents the findings of an exploratory research study commissioned by The Wheel and supported by the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA), undertaken to survey volunteers and staff in the community and voluntary sector on the level and nature of unmet literacy, numeracy, and digital literacy needs in the sector. Funded by the Adult Literacy for Life Office.
Published in 2024
The Future of Public Service Delivery by the Community and Voluntary Sector
This report published by the economic and social think-thank, TASC, in conjunction with The Wheel, says urgent government action is required to ‘relieve staffing pressure and avoid further closure of services’.
The report examines staffing, demand for services and funding among hundreds of Section 39, 10, and 56 organisations. These charities receive contracts from the state to deliver essential public services countrywide in diverse areas like health, disability, family support, children, care of older people, homelessness and addiction.
Participating People report
The Participating People report, in collaboration with Carnegie UK Trust, is the culmination of a series of consultations known as The People’s Conversation, which examined the barriers to actively participating in society in Ireland. This project has seen hundreds of people take part in engaged discussions about what needs to change to create a truly inclusive and participative Ireland, and has resulted in the publication of four influential reports: Citizens Rising, Money Matters, A Two-Way Street and Powering Civil Society.
This final report draws together the thinking from all of this work and presents a blueprint of actions to support a more inclusive Ireland with a vision for a more enabling state. It focuses on active citizenship and how citizens can proactively help to shape the society around them. The report comes at a time where active participation is more vital than ever. In recent years in particular, we have seen the power of ordinary people shaping the society we live in.
Older reports
Examines the role of the community and voluntary sector as a vehicle for active citizenship. Published in 2018.
(One of three ‘Enabling Citizens’ publications, in association with the Carnegie (UK) Trust as part of the Peoples Conversations project 2015 to date.)
Explores how to make Ireland a place that involves people more. (The final report of the Peoples Conversation project, in association with Carnegie (UK) Trust). 2015.
Published in 2015.
Examines the economic barriers to active citizenship and how to over-come them. Published in 2018.
(One of three ‘Enabling Citizens’ publications, in association with the Carnegie (UK) Trust as part of the Peoples Conversations project 2015 to date.)
Explores the ‘missing piece’ in the citizen-participation narrative, namely the role of the public servant. Published in 2018.
(One of three ‘Enabling Citizens’ publications, in association with the Carnegie (UK) Trust as part of the Peoples Conversations project 2015 to date.)
This significant report for the nonprofit sector in Ireland contains the results of new and extensive qualitative research into the training and support needs of the sector.
This landmark study, carried out by Indecon on behalf of The Wheel, quantifies for the first time the levels of training and upskilling undertaken by people in the nonprofit sector – paid and unpaid.
Valuing the community and voluntary approach to human, social and community services. Published in 2016.
An executive summary of the ‘Let’s Commission for Communities’ report. Published in 2016.
This report represents the culmination of a 2-year project that aimed to bring the European dimension alive in our national discourse and to encourage and enable greater engagement between citizens and the European Parliament. Published in 2018.
This report provided badly needed information about the scale and scope of Ireland’s nonprofit sector. For current data on Ireland’s nonprofit sector see: www.charityregulator.ie.
Published in 2014.
Inspired by our 20th anniversary (1999 – 2019), The Wheel has published a new collection of essays, papers and personal reflections which explores a variety of perspectives, experiences and issues related to civil society in Ireland and beyond.