Research blog

Scotland and the world around it are changing. From demography to technology, environment to economy, faith to fiscal policy, nothing about our society is standing still. For the third sector, how Scotland changes in the next two to three years matters less than how it changes in... Read more

Putting people at the heart of Scotland's future We want a Scotland that has a shared sense of purpose, is fair and prosperous, and where the entire population has the opportunity to participate on equal terms. This ambition is the biggest political, policy and practical... Read more

Introduction This paper is the second in a series that looks to promote conversation about some of the big issues in the run-up to and period after the 2014 Scottish Referendum, amplifying the voice and ideas of the third sector and the people it supports. The Scottish Council... Read more

Applied Futurologist Tom Cheesewright spoke at February’s Gathering, and we now have the report on that session available for you to read. Tom highlighted what will affect our sector and those we work with – demographic change, technology change, changes in the way we work… And... Read more

Ilse Mackinnon takes a look at why the latest round of third sector stats left us scratching our heads. Read more

About these statistics This page pulls together statistics for 2014/2015 from a range of sources, including SCVO, OSCR and the Scottish Housing Regulator. Financial data is based on charity accounts for 2013/14. Key facts The Scottish voluntary sector encompasses an estimated 4... Read more

SCVO media release New figures show vital role third sector plays in Scotland New figures released today (Wednesday 19 February) by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) show that the third sector’s turnover has grown to £4.9bn, having doubled over the last... Read more

More options download full report as a PDF document download full report as a Word document Executive Summary Community Jobs Scotland Background 1. Community Jobs Scotland (CJS) is a Scottish Government funded job creation programme that performs a dual function as: An... Read more

In the newly released SCVO report into the future health and confidence of the sector, it’s clear that our sector is viewing 2014 with some pretty mixed feelings. Read more

Zero hours contracts are bad for workers and bad for customers Read more

Commentary The third sector is clearly making a real difference to the lives of people in Scotland and is heading in the right direction again despite a challenging economic environment. This isn’t just good news for the staff and volunteers who work within the sector, it also... Read more

These data tables accompany the State of the Sector 2013 report. Figure 1 The increase/decrease in organisation size reported by respondents between 2007 and 2013. Over the last 12 months has your organisation: 2007 2008 2009 (estimate) 2010 (estimate) 2011 2012 2013 Grown in... Read more

The bigger picture A new economy – less dependency Examining the future of welfare in Scotland without understanding why people are dependent on a myriad of benefits and allowances is a mistake. Within the third sector, and more widely, there is a growing call for our economy to... Read more

The survey This survey was undertaken to discover what the third sector currently feels about the debate; whether it is having any impact on organisations; and what they hope to see come out of the debate in the coming year. As SCVO will be holding an event on referendum issues... Read more

Introduction Scotland is in a privileged position as we debate our future as a nation. We have a unique opportunity to debate the kind of society we want to see, and the ways in which we might achieve this vision. The future of welfare and the possibility that Scotland could do... Read more

Overview The impact of welfare reform has been felt across Scotland, and, as research commissioned by the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee shows, the most deprived areas in Scotland will take the biggest financial hit. With the reforms taking more than £1.6bn a year... Read more

Overview This paper is written by one of Scotland’s leading social policy experts Jim McCormick. It examines the impacts of the UK Government’s welfare cuts and reforms. SCVO’s starting point is that the UK coalition Government’s welfare cuts are unmerited and unjust. They are... Read more