Civil Society Satellite Account

We’ve been working with stakeholders to develop use cases for a new ‘satellite account’ for civil society, which the government committed to developing in its 2022 Levelling Up White Paper. The creation of a satellite account would offer a new way of measuring the value of civil society and this report aims to help inform the government’s development of it.

This report summarises the results of our consultation with government departments, charities, funders, academics, and other stakeholders, setting out what a first version of a civil society satellite account might look like. The report outlines 6 core themes that emerged from this work, alongside specific needs by stakeholder group, a list of recommendations and next steps.

The 6 core findings were:

1. The very existence of a satellite account for the non-profit sector is as important as what it includes
2. Start simple but build partnerships and platforms to add value over time
3. Accommodate varied and wide definitions of ‘the sector’
4. People want to compare
5. Improve timeliness and show trends
6. Geography and consistency across the nations matter