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.
Access to banking
Having a bank account is key to being able to carry out activities. Here we describe the work we're doing where you've told us you faced challenges, from setting up accounts to financial administration.
We know from our members that many voluntary organisations have problems in accessing banking. That can be difficulty opening an account, issues with signatories, finding suitable products, or even having accounts closed.
We worked with UK Finance (the membership body for the banking and finance industry), charity and community representative organisations, and banking providers across the UK to help develop UK Finance's Voluntary Organisations Banking Guide.
We know that won't solve all of the problems, so we are continuing to work with other voluntary organisations to try to influence the banks. In coming months we will publish the results of a UK-wide survey of voluntary organisations' experiences with banking, which will help us to demonstrate the scale and severity of the problems.
Information on banking
We've created information pages on everything to consider about bank accounts, including a bank comparison table showing some of the options you have, and what specific benefits they offer to charities.
Latest news & opinion
The latest access to banking news and blogs. Read more
Latest briefings & policy papers
The latest access to banking briefings and policy papers from the policy team. Read more
Latest consultation responses
The latest access to banking consultation responses from the policy team. Read more
Contact us
If you have any questions on access to banking, want to discuss our calls in more detail, or believe you have evidence, resources, or experiences that could support our work, please contact Kirsten Hogg, Head of Policy and Research.
Get involved
Collaborate with us and our members to develop and promote voluntary sector policy perspectives for Scotland