[OSCR recently published its findings](http://www.oscr.org.uk/hot-topics/surveys-show-strong-support-for-charities-in-scotland) on trust and regulation in Scotland’s third sector. Perhaps not surprisingly, trust has declined in the last two years, a period that saw the media focus on negative stories, such as those surrounding Kids Company, chief executive pay, fundraising practices and ethical corporate support. The decline is not as high as some might have predicted, especially when you consider a press bent on shaming charity bad practice, with little care given to representing the other side of things – namely the great work that goes on across Scotland and beyond. And that great work has not been in short supply. The recent [Scottish Charity Awards](http://www.scvo.scot/charity-awards/?group=az) were testament to some of the excellent things that have been happening over the last year.

### How do we increase public trust?

Transparency is key. Organisations need to work hard to show their commitment to being clear and open in what they’re doing, how they’re spending money and the impact they are having. [Good HQ](http://www.goodhq.org) is powerful way for organisations to show their commitment to transparency. The [new digital platform](http://www.scvo.scot/blog/getting-involved-through-good-hq/) lets the public share their honest experiences of charities, both good and bad. It also gives charities valuable feedback on how they can improve to deliver better services and experiences for their supporters, service users, volunteers and staff. Not only that, [Good HQ](http://www.goodhq.org/) showcases positive stories from the third sector, written by people that know the work of the organisation best: its service users, fundraisers, supporters, campaigners, trustees etc. Take a look at the [explore page](https://goodhq.org/explore/) on the platform, to see just some of the inspiring stories that have already been left.

### Become an early adopter

As Good HQ Community Manager it’s been encouraging to see the platform take off over the last few weeks, with some great organisations signing up and using the site, including [Ceartas](https://goodhq.org/Ceartas), [Guide Dogs Scotland](https://goodhq.org/GuideDogsScotland) and the [Traditional Music and Song Association Scotland](https://goodhq.org/TMSA) – to name just a few. Now it’s your turn to become an early adopter too! If you’re interested in signing up your organisation and demonstrating your organisation’s commitment to transparency and receiving feedback, head over to the [sign up](https://goodhq.org/signup/) page and register now. For more information take a look at my previous blog on [getting to know Good HQ](http://www.scvo.scot/blog/getting-to-know-goodhq/) or get in touch by [emailing me](mailto://lauren.pluss@scvo.scot). You can also keep up-to-date with everything we’re up to by [following us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/goodhq).

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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 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)