Scotland’s Essential Sector Priorities for the next Scottish Government SCVO’s 2026 Scottish Parliament,The next Scottish Government needs a strong, sustainable voluntary sector.,sector in numbers Priorities for the next Scottish Government Deliver Fair Funding SCVO works with voluntary,organisations to understand the funding challenges they face, and to develop the solutions that they,the need to reform the public sector funding landscape for voluntary organisations has never been more

The public sector is currently the single most important source of income for the Scottish voluntary,now that Covid-related funds have ended, combined with the impact of inflation.,Only 4 in 10 voluntary organisations get public sector funding, but for many it is critical.,The voluntary sector in numbers – key facts There are over 46,500 voluntary sector organisations in Scotland,sector has 136,000 paid staff 88% of voluntary organisations in Scotland are local The voluntary sectorplays

Creating a digitally confident Scottish voluntary sector in 2026 Our fourth call to action Scotland’s,It is about building a voluntary sector that can thrive, adapt and deliver impact in a digital society,can make progress in practical, achievable ways common challenges and pitfalls to avoid Case studies,Enterprise, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and the Scottish Wildlife Trust illustrate how charities,change working incrementally and continuously improving responding to data and insights, including challenging

Introduction This report presents the key findings from the eleventh wave of the Scottish third sector,The Tracker collects panel data from Scottish third sector organisations to give current insights into,The Tracker asks organisations questions relating to their current organisational challenges; services,do more for their beneficiaries; the impact of funding delays; and about the impact the increase in,to rank their challenges 1-3 from a list of options.

RECOMMENDATION: The Scottish Government should explore integrating data from the voluntary sector into,It will be more challenging to work with the Scottish Government to address these challenges if the voluntary,from voluntary organisations reporting on outcomes through their funding arrangements.,A source of such data can be found in the Scottish Third Sector Tracker, part funded by the Scottish,The tracker also explores supplementary areas in each wave, such as the impact of the cost-of-living

The lack of clarity has made it challenging for organisations to understand the potential impact on the,Explore a standardised approach and clearer expectations on voluntary organisations to publish information,In 2019, our response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on extending FoI raised several challenges,. 7.B Costs, funding, and administrative burden The significant administrative burden and costs associated,Voluntary organisations could only take on additional obligations if the Scottish Government, local authorities

continue to play their part in access to information rights… SCVO welcomes the Scottish Government’s,In 2019, our response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on extending FoI raised several challenges,. 7.B Costs, funding, and administrative burden The significant administrative burden and costs associated,Voluntary organisations could only take on additional obligations if the Scottish Government, local authorities,Even if there is the acknowledgement that the Scottish Government would need to resource voluntary organisations

SCVO Response to the Scottish Government's Digital Strategy About SCVO The Scottish Council for Voluntary,More recently, SCVO has been delivering Connecting Scotland alongside the Scottish Government and a range,To ensure organisations can conduct these Digital Inclusion Impact Assessments properly and respond to,Part B) Third sector digital evolution (transformation) SCVO’s role and reach Many voluntary sector organisations,The Scottish Council for Voluntary organisations has worked for over five years to discover, develop,

Rethinking funding: As recommended by the Scottish Parliament in November, the Scottish Government should,Part two: the voluntary sector's role A) The impact on the sector Scotland's voluntary sector is wide-reaching,While emergency Scottish Government funding streams have provided vital support, many organisations had,Rethinking funding As recommended by the Scottish Parliament in November, the Scottish Government should,organisations, to ensure the constituent parts of our complicated funding system complement one another