SCVO news blog

I’m reflecting on our parliamentary reception this week, hosted by Paul O’Kane MSP, showcasing our Essential Sector campaign and the value of the Scottish Third Sector Tracker. I’ve been to a lot of events in the parliament over the years and they are generally cheerful... Read more

It’s that time of year when we’re reflecting on what we’ve achieved and working out what we want to achieve in the coming year. I thought I’d share my reflections on our work to become an anti-racist organisation. Like many organisations, we were jolted into action when Black... Read more

SCVO Chief Executive Anna Fowlie responding to the 2023/24 Autumn Statement. Read more

The Scottish Governance Code for the Third Sector was originally developed in 2018 by the Third Sector Governance Forum. Designed specifically for Scotland’s voluntary sector, it provided a statement of best practice on what good governance looks like. Since then, both our... Read more

Trustees’ Week is all about highlighting the great work of trustees across Scotland and the UK, and the role they play in governing our charities and voluntary organisations. Read more

What The Gathering is the biggest voluntary sector event in the UK. Over two days SCVO hosts 2000+ people with a programme of energising events and a bustling exhibition. It’s a chance to catch up with people, make new connections and hear about the latest thinking and action... Read more

Anna Fowlie, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations' (SCVO) Chief Executive, responds to the 2023/24 Programme for Government. Read more

Scotland’s voluntary sector celebrated at SCVO’s annual awards ceremony The winners of the Scottish Charity Awards recognising Scotland’s voluntary sector were announced in a celebratory awards ceremony last night (Friday 23 June) at the Sheraton Hotel, Edinburgh. Hosted by Sally... Read more

Once upon a time, on the the first official day of lockdown dozens of third sector leaders got together on a magic thing called Zoom. We were summoned by ACOSVO (the third sector leaders network) and we came together because we wanted to share ideas, support each other and find... Read more

Last week we announced the shortlist of organisations and individuals nominated for the Scottish Charity Awards 2023. To reach this point, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes. Read more

Responding to the Scottish Government’s policy prospectus, New leadership – A fresh start, SCVO Chief Executive Anna Fowlie, said: “I welcome the Scottish Government’s latest commitment to progress Fairer Funding across its support for the voluntary sector, including the... Read more

In response to the UK Government's Spring Statement, SCVO Chief Executive Anna Fowlie said: "The UK Government's announcement of over £100m of additional support for charities and communities in England is welcome news and comes on the back of calls from organisations across the... Read more

“While we are pleased that the Energy Bill Discount Scheme will continue to support charities at the same level as businesses, we are disappointed that the level of support will fall." Read more

It is important to remember that we’ve heard things like this before, and there is no way to tell from a one- year budget how this on paper commitment might be implemented.  To Read more

“I welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to Fairer Funding Principles in this week’s budget - including a commitment to multi-year funding. Read more

On Tuesday, the Employment and Fair Work Minister Richard Lochhead and Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity Minister Lorna Slater, announced that all organisations that receive grant funding from Scottish Government, enterprise agencies, and public bodies must pay the... Read more

Lynn Houmdi is the Programme Manager of The Challenges Group women returners programme, Making Work Work. In this blog Lynn reflects on rethinking services to embed accessibility for equity and inclusion. After a career break, the world of work doesn’t always seem so welcoming... Read more

A few years ago I was working for a grant funder on the Workplace Equality Fund. It was the first time I really understood that equality is only ever achieved by providing equity first, and true inclusion is only ever achieved by completely rethinking things. My lightbulb moment... Read more

Media Release Embargo: Immediate SCVO statement on the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth Chief executive of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), Anna Fowlie, said: “On behalf of SCVO, I would like to express my condolences to all those affected by the sad... Read more

“We are concerned with the suggestion of households and organisations footing the bill for this energy price guarantee through their bills and taxes for years to come." Read more

"The needs of the sector, even those that cost nothing, are simply invisible." Read more

What’s your view of how purposeful business practices generally are in Scotland now? SCVO has supported voluntary organisations to make Scotland a better place since 1944. The past few decades have seen a significant shift to the ways the public, private and voluntary sectors... Read more

Purpose is key to work-place satisfaction and the reason why people chose to work in the charity sector. Charities don’t have a monopoly on purpose though, staff across all sectors are motivated by the idea they are making the world a better place. In fact 83% of Millennial... Read more

Scotland’s voluntary sector celebrated at annual awards ceremony The winners of the Scottish Charity Awards recognising Scotland’s voluntary sector were announced last night (15 June) in a glittering awards ceremony hosted by Sally Magnusson at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Glasgow... Read more

The Scottish Governance Code for the Third Sector was developed in 2018 and sets out five broad principles of good governance that act as a point of reference for trustees in carrying out their role. They can be summarised under the following broad headings: Organisational... Read more

By Fiona Gillespie, Head of Charities - Scotland, Rathbones At Rathbones we’re proud of our long history of supporting the charitable sector. Charities have entrusted us with their money for over 100 years. With funds under management of £7.1 billion* for more than 1,90... Read more

Pam Duncan-Glancy writes for SCVO on ensuring the value of voluntary organisations is properly recognised across the country. Read more

Working in partnership across sectors should be the backbone of Levelling Up. We now hope to see this outlined as a key principle in the new UKSPF prospectus due to be published imminently.  Read more

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) has been honoured in Scotland’s Flexible Working Awards, run by social business Flexibility Works. Read more

SCVO produced this summary of commitments impacting the voluntary sector operating environment. Read more

The death of George Floyd in summer 2020 and the public response that followed made us stop and think. Staff at SCVO felt the same upset, anger and helplessness that so many others did, and we wanted to play an active part in making change happen. Read more

Our sector is an employer, a partner, and a vital social and economic actor.  Read more

It won’t address poverty and inequalities, which are the biggest draining effect on our country’s economic and social wellbeing Read more

Scotland’s national membership organisation for the voluntary sector has warned the Scottish Government’s flagship economic plan has ignored the importance of the sector. Earlier this week Economy Secretary Kate Forbes unveiled Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic... Read more

Full disclosure – I’m a fan of the National Performance Framework. I like the simplicity of setting out the kind of country Scotland aspires to be. I like the fact that it’s the only framework of its kind in the world with the word “love” in it. And I like that it’s got values at... Read more

Enter the Scottish Charity Awards Climate Conscious Award and inspire others to take action Read more

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is calling for charities and individuals across the country to apply for its annual charity awards! Now in its 16th year, the Scottish Charity Awards highlight the best, most innovative and effective charities, social... Read more

Today we’ve launched the 2022 Scottish Charity Awards with the invitation to organisations across the country to share their amazing stories of success and achievement over the past year. Don’t hide your light under a bushel. Every organisation will have a story to tell about the... Read more

What’s your wish for the new year? That’s the question that’s been asked in a few meetings I’ve been in recently. The answer has been pretty unanimous: we’re looking forward to getting together in person again. Two years ago, in February 2020, over 3,000 people from the voluntary... Read more

Following yesterday’s announcement of the Scottish Budget for 2022-23, SCVO’s Chief Executive Anna Fowlie said: "We are disappointed that despite all the talk of the importance of Scotland’s voluntary sector during the pandemic, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy... Read more

Findings from a third sector research project are providing crucial insights into how Scotland’s charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Run by independent research company DJS Research on behalf of the Scottish Council for... Read more

Scottish voluntary organisations are invited to join two new structures for civil society to engage with decision-makers on the EU/UK Trade & Cooperation Agreement The UK Government recently held a consultation on engagement with civil society on the implementation of the Trade... Read more

After celebrating the 10,000th job created by Community Jobs Scotland, I’m writing this piece with a heavy heart. The scheme has been a great success for the young people benefitting from the jobs and for the hundreds of voluntary organisations who have been able to create and... Read more

When you prepare budgets for submission to the Trustees or Board of Directors, do you include a line anywhere in your Profit and Loss Accounts for Risk? I’m guessing like us, you don’t. But should you? As CEO of Utility Aid, I regularly sit with our Board of Directors reviewing... Read more

Scotland’s voluntary sector celebrated at annual awards ceremony The winners of an annual awards ceremony dedicated to recognising Scotland’s voluntary sector were announced tonight (1 October) in a glittering online event hosted by Sally Magnusson live from the EICC. Run... Read more

A national employability programme which supports young jobseekers into employment in the voluntary sector is being recognised in Parliament this week after celebrating its 10,000th employee. The Community Jobs Scotland (CJS) programme, funded by the Scottish Government and... Read more

Scotland is in danger of prioritising an outdated approach to economic recovery over the wellbeing of people and the environment. A coalition of third sector bodies is calling for the membership of the Scottish Government’s Council for Economic Transformation, which is due to... Read more

A new report is encouraging non-environmental charities and social enterprises to take action on climate change in the run up to COP26. Social Enterprise Network Scotland (SenScot) and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) have combined the findings of surveys... Read more

Scotland is now ‘Beyond level 0’. The external rules that restricted face to face activity have more or less ended. But we know that many people still feel cautious. Organisations across the voluntary sector want to get the next few months right for employees, volunteers and the... Read more

I’m really excited to be joining the Fair Work Convention, taking over from Henry Simmons of Alzheimer’s Scotland. Henry has contributed to the convention since it was set up and led its work on social care, so they’re big shoes to fill. The convention’s work includes a framework... Read more

Vote for your favourite Scottish Charity Awards finalist! Run annually by SCVO, the Scottish Charity Awards celebrate the best of Scotland’s voluntary sector. This year’s shortlist includes 47 individuals and organisations from charities and voluntary groups across the country... Read more

Since the elections in May, I’ve heard Scottish Ministers talk about Scotland’s economic, health and social recovery from Covid as a “joint endeavour.” That we must “lift our eyes from the immediate and look towards recovery, creating fair work, addressing poverty and inequality... Read more

SCVO has long strived to do its best to reflect the diversity of Scottish society and worked hard to be an inclusive organisation that colleagues, members, and the voluntary sector can contribute to, without barriers. However, the events of the summer of 2020 made us stop and... Read more

The beginning of June saw the SCVO Board meet to discuss how they demonstrate and evidence the Scottish Governance Code for the Third Sector principle of Board Behaviour, and I’m pleased to say that nobody ended up on the naughty step. The principle states that ‘A well-run board... Read more

As Volunteers Week draws to a close, we can all look back and celebrate volunteers across the UK, who, like us all, have had a year unlike any other. Volunteer efforts didn’t stop during the pandemic, in fact more people got involved in their local communities. From looking out... Read more

Waiting for the announcement of the new Scottish Cabinet and ministers is final throes of the excitement of an election. I spend weeks combing through manifesto commitments, over-analysing what’s said in speeches and debates – seeing glimmers of hope and harbingers of doom. I... Read more

In response to today's announcement of the new Scottish Cabinet, SCVO Chief Executive Anna Fowlie said: “On behalf of all of us at SCVO, I would like to welcome Shona Robison to her new role as Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government which includes... Read more

Last Tuesday we heard the First Minister sounding more hopeful than she had in quite a while. I clicked off the briefing expecting to be able to see and hug my family and friends. I live in Glasgow and it feels like that hope was a wee bit misplaced- we’re now significantly more... Read more

We have recently launched a major upgrade to our Funding Scotland service. Funding Scotland gives access to up to date, high-quality information on funding opportunities for voluntary organisations. It is free to any organisation in Scotland and lets you search over 1,000 funding... Read more

There’s probably a lot of us taking stock right now, looking back over the last year wondering, 'did that all really happen?!' Well in the case of SCVO as a membership organisation, it definitely wasn’t the year we had planned. We were in the midst of undertaking vital engagement... Read more

Earlier this week it was my pleasure to host a webinar to launch our Never More Needed short film, and bring together a panel to discuss what we can learn from the pandemic about the sector’s role. The film reflects the vital role voluntary organisations play throughout our lives... Read more

Eleven-year-old Edward had pitched a tent in the far corner of his garden, surrounded by a sleeping bag, walking poles and camping chair. Then, when the shot was ready, Edward held up the most prized prop – a photograph of all the vegetables he had grown during lockdown to earn... Read more

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) has today released a short film showcasing the difference that charities, community groups and social enterprises are making to people and communities during the coronavirus pandemic. The film – created by Media Co-op - is... Read more

Historic Environment Scotland (HES), Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIFA) and SCVO have joined forces to support heritage organisations of all types to create new jobs for young, unemployed people though the Kickstart programme. They are looking for heritage... Read more

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is calling for charities and individuals across the country to apply for its annual charity awards. Now in its 15th year, the Scottish Charity Awards highlight the best, most innovative and effective charity organisations... Read more

A new strategic partnership has been launched to boost collaboration between the voluntary sector and national and local government. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the Scottish Government have... Read more

Young people and job seekers in communities across Scotland will be able to access free training to support work skills and career prospects through a new portal launched today (9 March 2021). The Skills for Work portal has been developed by The Open University in partnership... Read more

SCVO has helped thousands of young jobseekers across the country find work through its Community Jobs Scotland (CJS) programme, which works with voluntary sector organisations to offer young people aged 16 to 29 years a job. The programme focusses on those who are most... Read more

For nearly 12 months now we have all been encouraged to work from home if we can. The town and city centre offices where many of us had been based are now largely empty spaces, lying dormant, waiting on our return one day. As the months have drawn on our thoughts have shifted to... Read more

Update 25th May 2022: the full Gathering programme is now available and bookings are open It's hard to believe that just a year ago thousands of us came together at the SEC in Glasgow for The Gathering. We didn’t have any physical distancing in place, we didn’t wear masks, use... Read more

Now that the Social Renewal Advisory Board’s report If Not Now, When? has hit the digital newsstands and I’m seeing the reactions in the twitter bubble, I’d like to share some thoughts. When I was asked to join the advisory board, I was pretty dubious. One of my favourite songs... Read more

Following this week's publication of the report 'If not now, when?' from the Social Renewal Advisory Board – established in June 2020 by the Scottish Government to consider Scotland's social renewal in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic – SCVO’s Chief Executive, Anna Fowlie... Read more

Research findings published today by Scotland’s charity regulator have been welcomed by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) for highlighting the difficulties voluntary sector organisations across the country are facing due to the impact of coronavirus... Read more

About 18 months ago, I started thinking about shifting our AGM online. I saw how successful it had been for ACEVO, the English equivalent of ACOSVO, and thought it could work for us. It would allow more people to participate as they wouldn’t have to travel and might be less... Read more

Scotland’s charities and community organisations have seen a dramatic fall in income due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, yet with more and more people in need of support, for many demand is soaring. Many others are struggling to emerge from a hard stop when they are... Read more

SCVO Chief Executive Anna Fowlie today welcomed Scottish Government’s position statement on the post-Brexit replacement for European funding:“The UK Government has been promising details of a UK Shared Prosperity Fund for two years now, but we remain completely in the dark... Read more

Changing goalposts Responding to the coronavirus pandemic has left voluntary sector organisations to interpret operating guidance and how it applies to them and their services. It can feel like none of us have definitive answers, and the rate of change is fast and confusing. We... Read more

Maureen McGinn – Convener of Children in Scotland Board – has joined the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) as Honorary President. As former Chair of the Scotland Committee of the National Lottery Community Fund and former Trustee of Evaluation Support Scotland... Read more

On Thursday 15 October, SCVO Credit Union and our international counterparts will come together to celebrate International Credit Union Day and the role that financial cooperatives play in improving the communities they serve and the lives of their members the world over. This... Read more

Since lockdown hit, we’ve worked together as a staff team at SCVO to do everything we can from our makeshift desks and offices to support the voluntary sector to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. I’m proud of everything we’ve done and I’m even more proud to tell you about a... Read more

What leads to a good partnership between a charity and private business? This was the question the Institute of Directors Scotland recently set Melanie Hill from Scottish Power, Ryan Donaghy from SCVO and myself in a discussion hosted by their Chair, Aidan O’Carroll. The... Read more

Charities and individuals from across Scotland have been recognised for the life-changing difference they make at the 2020 Scottish Charity Awards on 25 September. Run annually by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), the Scottish Charity Awards celebrate the... Read more

It will come as no surprise that funding has been at the top of the agenda over the last few months. Since the beginning of lockdown, visits to SCVO’s online funding search, Funding Scotland, have increased by 50% from the same period last year and funding continues to be the top... Read more

In June, I spotted a colleague who works in the sector in England issue an open invitation on Twitter for a virtual cup of tea. After six weeks in lockdown I was already starting to miss the office cooler chit chat and the chance encounters over coffee at meetings, so I put out a... Read more

At our latest Open Door webinar, we invited National Clinical Director Jason Leitch to participate in a Q&A about public health issues for voluntary sector organisations emerging from lockdown due to coronavirus. Professor Leitch opened the session with a reminder that the... Read more

Run annually by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), the Scottish Charity Awards celebrate the best of Scotland’s voluntary sector. This year’s shortlist includes 45 individuals and organisations from charities and voluntary groups across the country. While a... Read more

This week, the Scottish Government published its landmark review of the progress Scotland has made in delivering the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. The review was developed in partnership... Read more

As lockdown eases, we are all having to take responsibility. The advice we are following is increasingly nuanced, and our personal feelings about risk and rules are being exposed. Some of us are happy to book holidays abroad and cross our fingers that they won’t be cancelled... Read more

Following this week's publication of the report 'Towards a robust, resilient wellbeing economy for Scotland' from the independent Advisory Group on Economic Recovery - established in April 2020 by the Scottish Government to advise on Scotland’s economic recovery in the wake of... Read more

SCVO has come together with the Third Sector Employability Forum (TSEF) to combine the knowledge within TSEF and its network on employability, and the capacity of SCVO to reach the whole of the voluntary sector and to liaise with government. TSEF provides an effective, collective... Read more

Following today's announcement during the Scottish Parliament Debate: COVID-19 Next Steps (Communities) about the creation of the Social Renewal Advisory Board to drive progress towards a fairer, more equal Scotland in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, SCVO Chief... Read more

Right now many charity trustees will be making some of the most challenging decisions that they have had to make. Many will be worried about making the "right decision". By way of comfort for charity trustees, it is not necessarily a question of if their decision is the "right... Read more

A total of 8.4 million jobs in the UK have been furloughed (as of 24 May), many of whom would have likely been made redundant if the government hadn’t launched the Job Retention Scheme (JRS), which currently pays 80% of employees’ wages. This has come at a cost of over £17.... Read more

As the sun shone this weekend, many of us were pleased that lockdown restrictions were eased slightly as we entered Phase 1 in Scotland’s route map through and out of the coronavirus crisis. As we move into the next phase, it is important to understand the impacts of the initial... Read more

1-7 June is Volunteers’ Week – always a time to celebrate and say thank you for the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK all year round. During the last few months we have seen an amazing volunteer response to the coronavirus pandemic, with many... Read more

I saw this quote the other day, a good wee mantra to have just now… "We may be stuck here for a little while, but adventures are coming and more reasons to smile." Our members and the fantastic support they are offering across Scotland right now is certainly giving us lots of... Read more

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted on every aspect of our lives, in a way that none of us has ever experienced. The speed and extremity of the impact is unprecedented, and the country was not prepared. The voluntary sector has seen a sudden, dramatic reduction in income... Read more