The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland's charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. Charity registered in Scotland SC003558. Registered office Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh EH3 6BB.
About the sector
The ‘voluntary sector’ or ‘third sector’ is an essential part of our society. Our sector is made up of thousands of charities, social enterprises, community organisations, and more. The voluntary sector exists alongside the ‘public sector’ and the ‘private sector’.
Some people also call us not-for-profit sector, charity sector, social enterprise sector, NGOs (non-government organisations) or civil society.
The Scottish voluntary sector encompasses over 46,500 organisations that contribute to the well-being of people and communities across Scotland. Many of the organisations we all encounter on a day-to-day basis are voluntary organisations, ranging from grassroots community groups, arts and cultural organisations, sports clubs and village halls to large housing and social care providers. Around half of all voluntary organisations are registered charities.
All voluntary sector organisations share some key features. They are:
Charities, social enterprises, community groups, housing associations, credit unions, some Community Interest Companies (CICs) and other types of not-for-profit organisations all meet these basic criteria.
Excluded by these criteria are some organisations that are registered charities such as universities, private schools, and public sector bodies.
What does the voluntary sector do?
Scotland’s voluntary organisations are focused on delivering vital services and empowering some of Scotland’s most marginalised communities. They also have a big role to play in protecting Scotland’s environment as well as campaigning and advocating for change.
The main areas where voluntary organisations are active are:
Social care
Culture and art
Sport
Equality and rights
Community development
Environment and animals
Health
Faith
The main activities that voluntary organisations undertake are:
Supporting people
Social care and health services, employability, playgroups and childcare, anti-poverty, transport, housing
Empowering people
Campaigning, advice, equalities and rights, education, strengthening voices
Bringing people together
Village halls, hobby groups, youth clubs, community events, cafes
Health and well-being
Mental and physical well-being, sports facilities, self-help groups
Improving our environment
Heritage, green spaces, conservation, local development and regeneration, recycling
Delivering change
Challenging, debating, persuading, influencing and, ultimately, changing public policy. Read more about the voluntary sector’s hard-won successes
The voluntary sector on screen
What is a modern charity?
Most people think they have a pretty good understanding of what a charity is but many people are unaware that they've used a charity in their day-to-day life. The charity sector is diverse but all charities have some common aims including making our society a better place to live.
#EssentialSector
10 organisations have told their stories through short films. Their films are just a snapshot of the diversity of the sector and the amazing work that goes on in charities, social enterprises and community groups every minute of every day, in every corner of Scotland.
The voluntary sector in numbers – key facts
There are over
46,500
voluntary sector organisations in Scotland
In a typical year,
4 in 5
households use a voluntary sector service
Almost
1 in 3
people said they had used a services by a charity last year (OSCR)
43%
of young people said they had used a service provided by a charity
In 2022 the voluntary sector’s turnover in Scotland was over
£9.2bn
In 2022 the voluntary sector spent
£8.8bn
on carrying out its activities
Over
1 million
people volunteer in Scotland every year
The sector looks after substantial assets on behalf of the communities and people of Scotland… from historic buildings, social housing and community land to investments held by charitable foundations, totalling an estimated
£39billion
last year
There are over
200,000
trustees leading charities across the country
Scotland’s voluntary sector has
133,000
paid staff
89%
of voluntary organisations in Scotland are local
The voluntary sector
plays a particularly
important role in rural
communities – with
36%
of organisations based in rural or remote areas
The sector is made up of, among other things:
- 23,800 registered charities including 163 housing associations
- Around 1,000 community interest companies
- 83 credit unions
- Over 6,000 of these voluntary organisations are also social enterprises
Learn more about the sector’s size and shape and get in touch with our research team if you'd like to know more.