# Tis' the season for giving (and wanting)

The eagle eyed amongst you may have spotted that a few weeks ago the [Scottish Digital Participation Charter](http://digital.scvo.scot/charter/)  flew past 150 signatories but I also totally understand if you didn’t spot it.  It was probably drowned out by [#digiscot](https://twitter.com/digiscot) which was, after all, trending in the UK. The Charter’s aim is simple; get organisations to pledge their support to tackling digital exclusion in Scotland and do so in a joined up and collaborative way. Now we’ve reached a tipping point with the [Charter](http://digital.scvo.scot/charter/); with this many signatories (and the list continuing to grow) it needs to become more active whilst also becoming more autonomous and self-sufficient as we’re a busy wee team here at SCVO. So that’s the thinking behind the decision, but what are we actually talking about?  Well, here comes the big reveal… We’re building a new platform, accessible via our website, which will enable organisations that are signatories to post offers to the charter or submit asks that will be displayed for all to see and interact with. Sound underwhelming?  Well we think the real beauty of it is in its simplicity.  On a daily basis we hear of spare devices being underutilised, empty rooms gathering dust, free wi-fi that no one knows about and the list goes on; a central, easy to use space that allows everyone to share this knowledge is a bit of a no brainer really, wouldn’t you agree? Many of the current [signatories](http://digital.scvo.scot/charter/signatories/) have already been contacted about submitting offers and now I would encourage you to do the same.  You can send us your offers or wants using the simple [form](http://digital.scvo.scot/files/charter%20submission%20form.docx) to allow us to hit the ground running when we launch by having a whole heap of offers already live on the site. The platform will be launching at an event on the 4th February so keep an eye out for the invites which will follow in the next few weeks and follow [@digiscot](https://twitter.com/digiscot) to get further updates. In the meantime, I ask you to dig deep this festive season and think hard about how your organisation, no matter how big or small, can contribute to this fantastic movement in Scotland.

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## About SCVO

SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) is the national membership organisation for Scotland's voluntary sector.

Our role is to champion the role of voluntary organisations in Scotland and to support them to do work that has a positive impact.

SCVO supports members and the wider voluntary sector with all aspects of setting up and running a voluntary organisation. SCVO represents the needs and concerns of the voluntary sector to the Scottish government in Holyrood and UK government and Westminster. Through our learning and events programme SCVO offers training and development opportunities to the sector.

Members access an extensive membership benefits package including specialist, in-depth, 1-to-1 guidance from our Information Services team and from professional service partners.

Access to exclusive membership networks (including comms, employers, governance and policy) supports members to grow their connections, stay up to date, exchange ideas and views with peers, and learn through tailored learning opportunities.

SCVO members enjoy free access to Funding Scotland Premium to stay on top of funding opportunities to support their organisation’s financial resilience.

Discounts and savings on SCVO products and services (including our HR service, managed IT support, payroll service and events and training) and partner offers provide members with support to allow them to focus on delivering their organisation’s goals. Further SCVO products and services include [extensive digital support](https://scvo.scot/support/digital), a climate action resource [Growing Climate Confidence](https://climateconfident.scot), a voluntary sector publication [Third Force News](https://tfn.scot) and a voluntary sector jobs and recruitment service [Goodmoves](https://goodmoves.org).

For more information on SCVO membership, visit [SCVO membership](https://scvo.scot/membership)