Policy blog

In 2020, as part of its response to the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery, Scottish Government sought to address the barriers facing the third sector by bringing together SCVO, the TSI Scotland Network, COSLA and the Scottish Government Third Sector Unit in the Strengthening... Read more

Chief executive Anna Fowlie has now offered to meet with Mr Swinney as we continue to work closely with the Scottish Government as the #RunningCostsCrisis worsens.  Read more

Scotland’s voluntary sector is a major employer, employing over 135,000 people, around 5% of Scotland’s workforce and a third more people than the 100,000 staff employed in Scotland’s digital and technology sector. This workforce makes a huge contribution to people and... Read more

SCVOBriefing_CostOfLivingDebate_22_10_26Download Read more

Scouts Scotland is passionate about equipping young people with the skills they need to succeed and be happy in life. Connection with the outdoors promotes good mental health and wellbeing, and it also inspires young people to get involved in climate action. Read more

Context The Fair Funding – Collaborate, Challenge, Change event at this year’s Gathering was organised by SCVO and our Strengthening Collaboration partners (the Scottish Government, COSLA & the TSI Network). The event brought together leaders from across the sector to look at... Read more

SCVO commissioned an independent consultant, Arrivo Consulting, to conduct depth interviews with several of our members. The aim of the project was twofold: To deepen our understanding of the key challenges faced by third sector organisations, specifically in relation to funding... Read more

This case study is part of a series of work undertaken by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) looking into the funding situation of Scottish voluntary organisations. In this paper, we draw upon the experiences of voluntary sector intermediaries to shine a... Read more

Andrew Williams is environmental projects co-ordinator for CEMVO Scotland.  Read more

To mark Scotland’s Climate Week 2022, we caught up with Sustainable Thinking Scotland CIC, our Climate Conscious winner at this year’s Scottish Charity Awards. Hear from Sean Kerr, director at Sustainable Thinking Scotland to learn about their important contributions to a net... Read more

The Living Wage shouldn’t be an aspiration or a ceiling – it’s the bare minimum anyone should expect.   Read more

The UK/EU relationship is at a new stage. As the implementation of the Trade & Cooperation agreement (TCA) between the UK and the EU is now in focus, partners across Scottish civil society are keen to ensure that the Scottish voluntary sector is included, heard and understood in... Read more

“We are concerned with the suggestion of households and organisations footing the bill for this energy price guarantee through their bills and taxes for years to come." Read more

"The needs of the sector, even those that cost nothing, are simply invisible." Read more

Summer 2022 has been like no other, dominated by excessive heat, drought, and what we have all learnt is the wrong type of rain. The political climate has fared little better, paralysed by a leadership contest while energy costs and inflation spiral. Despite the increasingly... Read more

SCVO ran a Greener Gathering this year - find out more about what was involved and what it achieved Read more

Graham McQueen on funding for charities to encourage more active travel Read more

Both statuatory and independent funders will soon be asking about charities' envrionmental impact. Make sure you're ready. Read more

Each year at the beginning of September, the Scottish Government delivers its Programme for Government, a set of actions that the government will take over the next year to progress its priorities. Specifically, the programme includes, legislation, spending, policy initiatives... Read more

Jonathan Mail explains why the Scottish Government's Circular Economy Bill presents an opportunity for charity retail Read more

Today the SCDI published the report and recommendations from the The Business Purpose Commission for Scotland. As a member of the Commission, I found the discussion fascinating in exploring the role of the public, private and voluntary sectors in delivering economic, social and... Read more

Purpose is key to work-place satisfaction and the reason why people chose to work in the charity sector. Charities don’t have a monopoly on purpose though, staff across all sectors are motivated by the idea they are making the world a better place. In fact 83% of Millennial... Read more

SCVO will continue to work with TSIs and partners in the Scottish and UK Governments, as well as COSLA on these issues Read more

The Circular Economy bill will present opportunities and challenges for third sector organisations. Michael Cook explains what its about. Read more

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) has warned that third sector groups have been let down by today’s Spending Review.  Read more

The climate crisis seems less important than the cost of living crisis but the two are inter-linked, says Susan Smith Read more

Foundation Scotland has been exploring the role of funders in tackling the root cause of problems rather than paying for lots of sticking plasters Read more

Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary Shona Robison argues for a broader view of what it means to be a prosperous economy and advocates for the role of the third sector in supporting that. Read more

Alastair Davis argues that the social enterprise sector can only achieve exponential growth in economic impact through mainstream its products and services within consumer and B2B markets. Read more

The Circular Economy 360 series is delivered by Social Investment Scotland and supported by Zero Waste Scotland. In addition to our live sessions will be sharing inspiring interviews from organisations across the globe and our resource pack information will help you on your... Read more

A rundown of what the team has been up to and what’s ahead in each area of interest for SCVO.  Read more

Last week, the UK Government launched its long-awaited UK Shared Prosperity Fund prospectus. But what does it mean for us in Scotland’s voluntary sector?  Read more

Neil McInroy explains how Community Wealth Building could provide the practical answer to transforming Scotland's economic system Read more

Working in partnership across sectors should be the backbone of Levelling Up. We now hope to see this outlined as a key principle in the new UKSPF prospectus due to be published imminently.  Read more

Professor Iain Black argues the third sector must help disrupt the existing growth focused economic goal to ensure social and environmental goals are achieved. Read more

Addington offers some thoughts about a possible framework to help organisations think more broadly about their role and recognise opportunities to help achieve a sustainable future. Read more

Many of us who work in policy and public affairs in Scotland will no doubt have experienced the hustle and bustle of the Parliament in Edinburgh – the commotion in the lobby as school trips and visitors wait to receive their guest passes; the buzz about the building as... Read more

Sandy Macdonald on some of the ways the third sector is helping the business sector achieve economic success Read more

Our sector is an employer, a partner, and a vital social and economic actor.  Read more

The Scottish Government’s consultation on its first multi-year resource spending review since 2011 closes in three weeks, on 27 March. We need to use this time to rally together to secure a spending review that delivers for Scotland’s voluntary sector. By deliver, we mean the... Read more

It won’t address poverty and inequalities, which are the biggest draining effect on our country’s economic and social wellbeing Read more

There are still many questions as to how the Levelling Up agenda will be implemented in Scotland.    Read more

We have never attempted to estimate the overall economic contribution of the third sector. Professor Mairi Spowage of the Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) explains what it's doing to change that Read more

Enter the Scottish Charity Awards Climate Conscious Award and inspire others to take action Read more

Social businesses are stepping in when markets fail bringing £165m and more than 7000 full time jobs to the Highlands and Islands Read more

Bringing together the innovative thinking and ethos of Scotland’s incredible charities and social enterprises with the innovation ecosystem in our universities and colleges can help to spark a new wave of third sector services Read more

The policy cycle, like everything else, has been somewhat uncertain over the last couple of years. First Brexit and then the coronavirus pandemic have delayed the UK Budget, having a knock-on effect here in Scotland. Before the Christmas break, however, the Scottish policy-cycle... Read more

Ian Marr explains how Social Impact Investment brings together the skills, experience and strengths of the public, private and social sectors to work together for the common good. Read more

Susan McGhee explains how social enterprise Flexible Childcare Scotland is disrupting the childcare industry from within. Read more

We need a Wellbeing Economy so that we can focus on delivering the things that make life worthwhile rather than just the things that make life possible. Read more

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) has written to the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government Shona Robison MSP to highlight concerns over the recent announcement of the Scottish Budget for 2022-23 - you can view SCVO’s Chief... Read more

Rami Okasha explains why Children’s Hospices Across Scotland decided to measure the economic impact of its work in 2021. Read more

The voluntary sector – which empowers citizens, sustains wellbeing and advocates for change – is undoubtedly a super sector: striving for progress towards social, economic, environmental and democratic outcomes  Read more

Findings from a third sector research project are providing crucial insights into how Scotland’s charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Run by independent research company DJS Research on behalf of the Scottish Council for... Read more

Wave one - Summer 2021 The Scottish Third Sector Tracker is a community of third sector organisations based in Scotland. This large and inclusive community of organisations share their experiences and challenges in a quarterly survey. The information gathered from the community... Read more

Anoushka Kenley, research and policy director at Pro Bono Economics explores the true value of the voluntary sector Read more

Julia Unwin outlines five ways that civil society plays an essential role in the economy Read more

Each Autumn, Committees at the Scottish Parliament prepare pre-budget reports to share with Scottish Government Ministers ahead of the December Budget. Each one is packed with recommended commitments. Like colleagues across the sector, over the last few months the policy team at... Read more

Are you involved in procurement already or looking to learn more about it? Then register now and come along to our procurement webinar on 24 November, 3-4pm. Featuring an expert panel, this is a great chance to learn more and ask important questions on what’s working well and... Read more

We know that charities, social enterprises and community groups make Scotland a better place, and that’s why SCVO’s mission is to develop a confident voluntary sector in Scotland. But our mission is also about promoting this vibrant sector to engage at UK level when opportunities... Read more

Susan Smith explains the link between COP26 and Trustees Week Read more

The past 18 months have seen SCVO's policy team move our policy focus to issues impacting the voluntary sector's operating environment. This means that much of what we do now and well into the future will be relevant to most Scottish organisations. It also means that we need to... Read more

Issues around human rights are always key, but the focus in the news on incorporation of the UNCRC, Westminster’s plans to overhaul the Human Rights Act, and SCVO’s appearance in front of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee brought them to the front of my... Read more

The creation of a National Care Service is potentially one of the biggest changes to public services for decades. In the course of its development, the critical roles played by voluntary organisations in both delivering and complementing public services must be recognised... Read more

My first community development job was in Drumchapel so seeing the devastation wrought by the recent flooding to people living there was deeply saddening. With a spate of wildfires across the world forming the backdrop to the pandemic it sometimes felt over the last year that the... Read more

Like many I keep hearing or reading about how the pandemic we’ve all lived with for the past 18 months has fostered different and sometimes even better partnerships within and across sectors. As we recover from the covid-19 crisis we must spend time to learn from the impact of... Read more

Introduction As my colleague Sheghley posted at the end of June, SCVO wanted to learn more about the sector's use of the furlough scheme. In order to do so, we asked organisations to complete a short survey about their use of the scheme and any potential implications for their... Read more

The historic arrival of the UN climate negotiations to Glasgow in November 2021 is an opportunity to raise awareness in Scotland and beyond of how climate crises are affecting people across the world. That’s why as part of the runup to COP26, Scotland’s International Development... Read more

As we look to restrictions lifting this summer, much talk has rightly been on rebuilding the economy. Yet a quick look at Scottish Government’s new Council for Economic Transformation shows the Scottish voluntary sector is often being overlooked in these conversations. Our policy... Read more

A few years ago I had never heard of furlough. 18 months into the coronavirus pandemic, furlough is so familiar it is used as shorthand for the UK Government’s Job Retention Scheme; the scheme which guaranteed employees at least 80% of their wages (up to £2,500 each month) while... Read more

The start of a new parliamentary session can often feel quite daunting. Many of the MSPs that we have built relationships with over the last term, and in some cases over many decades, have moved on. As discussed in my last blog, a third of MSPs (42 of 129) are new to the Scottish... Read more

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is the importance of having accurate and up to date data and evidence to support decision making. For that reason, SCVO has decided to partner with a range of stakeholders[1] to build a Scotland-focused voluntary sector research... Read more

In the first of a series of blogs on our policy work, Head of Policy Kirsten Hogg reflects on our work and achievements over the last year. It’s that time of year again, when pulling together your annual review gives you a moment to draw breath and consider the year just past. In... Read more

Waiting for the announcement of the new Scottish Cabinet and ministers is final throes of the excitement of an election. I spend weeks combing through manifesto commitments, over-analysing what’s said in speeches and debates – seeing glimmers of hope and harbingers of doom. I... Read more

In response to today's announcement of the new Scottish Cabinet, SCVO Chief Executive Anna Fowlie said: “On behalf of all of us at SCVO, I would like to welcome Shona Robison to her new role as Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government which includes... Read more

After an unpredictable year, the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary election concluded with a predictable result, a historic fourth term in Government for the SNP. That the SNP would once again be the largest party at Holyrood was never in doubt. What kept two days of news coverage... Read more

Earlier this week it was my pleasure to host a webinar to launch our Never More Needed short film, and bring together a panel to discuss what we can learn from the pandemic about the sector’s role. The film reflects the vital role voluntary organisations play throughout our lives... Read more

Eleven-year-old Edward had pitched a tent in the far corner of his garden, surrounded by a sleeping bag, walking poles and camping chair. Then, when the shot was ready, Edward held up the most prized prop – a photograph of all the vegetables he had grown during lockdown to earn... Read more

Last night’s #SCVOHustings was my first at SCVO. I was excited. Having all the main party leaders taking part felt like a bit of a coup, and when our inimitable host Brian Taylor reflected on this as a mark of respect to the sector I felt optimistic about what the night would... Read more

The 2021 Scottish Parliament elections are now less than a month away. For a politics enthusiast like myself, this is an exciting time. I realise, however, that wading through political news coverage isn’t for everyone. Often just a handful of policy areas are of interest and... Read more

The next Scottish Government must make the issue of dying, death and bereavement a much higher priority. The next Scottish Government must look beyond a five-year term if it is to make the progress needed to ensure everyone affected by dying, death and bereavement gets the... Read more

A review of the literature - September - December 2020 Coronavirus Literature Review Q4 2020Download Introduction This paper, the third in the series, presents a summary of the existing literature on the impact coronavirus is having on voluntary sector organisations in Scotland... Read more

A new strategic partnership has been launched to boost collaboration between the voluntary sector and national and local government. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the Scottish Government have... Read more

The Fair Work Convention has recently published its ‘Fair Work Manifesto for Scotland’ urging all political parties as well as employers, unions, public agencies and civil society organisations to commit to delivering a Fair Work Nation by 2025. Scotland’s Fair Work Convention... Read more

Per year, around £12.6bn is spent in Scotland, £290bn across the UK, and approximately £1.3tn across the 48 countries the UK recently signed an agreement with. What am I talking about? Procurement of course! Everyone’s favourite after (online) dinner topic. Well maybe not quite... Read more

It might feel as though we are coming to the end of the budget process. However, the new-ish parliamentary process calls for scrutiny and engagement all year round. That's what we plan to do. This long-read article outlines how SCVO will continue engagement on the budget, how you... Read more

Post-legislative scrutiny of the Lobbying Act remains underway and the committee has written its draft report and key recommendations. The sector has a real chance to make this legislation more effective and easier to work with. Back in 2016 when the Lobbying (Scotland) Act was... Read more

Since the launch of the 2016 Fair Work Framework and the challenge set down by the Fair Work Convention for Scotland to be a world leading Fair Work nation by 2025, there has been much support, new government departments established, a Fair Work Implementation Plan and high level... Read more

This is it, this time it is for real. When I come back to the (home) office after the Christmas break, Brexit will be the new reality for me… and you. As I write, many questions remain unanswered, including as to whether or not there will be a deal. Also, let’s face it, in the... Read more

The framing of a government budget is to identify the priorities and ensure funds reach where they're needed the most. That delicate process has become fraught with difficulty and trade-offs for local and devolved governments since the financial crash. Each autumn, our policy and... Read more

It has now been eight months since The Gathering 2020, where SCVO launched its Manifesto for the Future and it is fair to say that the world looks very different now. By way of a short reminder, the Manifesto was developed by SCVO’s Policy Forum, a group comprised of a diverse... Read more

June - August 2020 Download a PDF version of this research paperDownload Introduction This paper presents a summary of the existing literature on the impact coronavirus is having on voluntary sector organisations in Scotland. It includes research published primarily by Scottish... Read more

In June, I spotted a colleague who works in the sector in England issue an open invitation on Twitter for a virtual cup of tea. After six weeks in lockdown I was already starting to miss the office cooler chit chat and the chance encounters over coffee at meetings, so I put out a... Read more

The First Minister sets out the Scottish Government’s policy stall for the year ahead At the beginning of each September, the Scottish Government delivers its Programme for Government; a sort of mini manifesto for the year ahead, which sets out new legislation, spending... Read more

Scotland and the SDGs: a national review to drive action, has been a big part of my working life for the past two years. The feelings of joy and relief were expected when it was finally published. There was a big gap in Scotland’s commitment to the 17 UN Sustainable Development... Read more

This week, the Scottish Government published its landmark review of the progress Scotland has made in delivering the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. The review was developed in partnership... Read more

Scotland’s Advisory Group for Economic Recovery for Scotland published a report last month which paid tribute to the country’s voluntary sector and noted that action was required to protect the capacity and financial sustainability of the sector. Voluntary organisations have... Read more

As some of you with long memories might remember, the UK once voted to leave the European Union. Yes, way back in June 2016 Britain took back control, cut the cord from Brussels and stepped out into a world of unimaginable free trade riches. Except, that’s not exactly what... Read more

Early in the pandemic a colleague sent me a fascinating webinar from experts in crisis response. It talked about the importance of keeping yourself and your organisation “in lane” – making sure that you’re contributing to the discussions in which you’ve got expertise and insight... Read more

Our analysis of the voluntary sector’s pre-COVID finances, published today, highlights a complex patchwork funding landscape of fundraising, trading, contracts, grants and reserves, all of which have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in different ways. The complexity of... Read more