How can SCVO research support your organisation’s work?

From focused briefings, to detailed regional reports, we have been working on making our research more accesible for organisations. Hear from other organisations what are the potential uses our research has.

SCVO works year-round to produce up-to-date research on Scotland’s voluntary sector. Our Workforce Survey looks in depth at the sector’s workforce, while the Scottish Third Sector Tracker brings together the main concerns, experiences and priorities of organisations across Scotland.

Our aim is to produce research that is useful to voluntary organisations and wider stakeholders. However, we know that some organisations find it difficult to engage with our outputs. In Wave 12 of the Tracker, we asked organisations whether they use SCVO research, and why they do, or do not, use it.

Two common barriers were a lack of time to read reports and a sense that research can feel too broad to be directly relevant. As one organisation told us, “our focus is meeting the needs of a relatively small community. We have busy lives”. Another said that, “as a small, volunteer-led organisation, our capacity to engage with sector-wide reports and research is limited”. With this in mind, we are developing shorter, more accessible outputs, including infographics, regional snapshots and focused briefings.

We also heard that organisations are not always sure how research can be used in practice. The examples below show how SCVO research can support everyday work. Using the words of other organisations, we have compiled different uses your organisation can give to our research, from funding bids and planning conversations to board discussions and work with partners.

• Funding: Use sector-wide evidence to show funders that your organisation’s challenges are part of a wider pattern, not isolated issues.
  • “We use [the findings] in funding bids to let trusts know how much their support is needed. We have shared them with public sector colleagues as well as local partners.”

• Understanding wider context and benchmarking: Compare your own experiences with others in the sector to see what is shared, what is local and what may need further attention.

• Planning: Bring evidence into strategic reviews, risk discussions, and workforce and community planning.
  • “We have used some of the information and findings to reshape our thinking and how we are going to go forward.”

• Governance: Support board and senior leadership discussions about risks, pressures and future priorities.
  • “Informed discussion at senior leadership and board level about the issues effecting the whole sector and the implications of these for our organisation”

• Partnerships and national conversations: Share Scottish evidence with UK-wide or national partners so Scotland’s context is not lost.
  • “Sharing the findings with the national [UK] support organisation keeps Scottish dimension in mind.”

We know that organisations are busy, and that research is only useful if it is easy to find, quick to understand and relevant to real decisions. That is why we are continuing to develop shorter and more accessible outputs. We would like to hear your experience engaging with our research. Your feedback helps us make future outputs clearer, more practical and more useful for Scotland’s voluntary sector. We also would like to invite you to join the Scottish Third Sector Tracker, the more organisations that take part, the more representative our research becomes.