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.
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Support & learning blog
Orkney Housing Association has been an active member of the Digital Champions in Housing project; working to embed digital skills support into our day to day interactions between front-line staff and tenants, helping them to benefit from being online. One example of this embedded... Read more
I have been aspiring for years to bring Orkney Housing Association into the 21st century and undertake everyday tasks more digitally. It got me thinking, how much post do I receive through my own letterbox each week? Answer – hardly any! I receive text reminders for dentist... Read more
If you’re as keen as I am on all things Data Protection related you may have read the recent Data Breach Survey from DLA Piper – it’s an interesting read, the number of reported breaches are up and show no sign of slowing down (so are the fines, but that’s another blog!). So, do... Read more
At the end of last year SCVO ran its first pilot to test out our new innovative e-learning platform that we’ve developed with organisations from four other European countries - Ireland, Finland, Latvia and Estonia. The Project – SCOPE, is funded by ERASMUS+, the European... Read more
At SCVO Digital, we’ve encouraged lots of charities to make more use of ‘flexible technology’. But what on earth is it, and how can it help charities work more effectively? First of all, it’s not about foldable phones, which are not much use to anyone at the moment. What we mean... Read more
There’s nothing like the turn of a decade to prompt you to step back and look at longer-term changes. The pace of digital change is notoriously fast, and getting faster. What does this mean over the longer term? And why is 2020 particularly important? Looking at the last 20 years... Read more
It seems that every week brings news of a different cyber attack – including those that impact our lives at individuals. (I am writing this on the week of the Travelex attack, when I had a friend travelling who’s only mention of payment was via the Travelex system). Cyber... Read more
In Scotland, 43% of the workforce are lacking in Essential Digital Skills. Although this is slightly ahead of the UK average (53%) we still need to improve. People who don’t have these skills are more likely to be older, female, be a part-time worker, have a disability or be... Read more
“We don’t build houses, we build communities” That’s what one of our Digital Motivators said to me at a meet-up this week. What’s a Digital Motivator? Good question! Earlier this year we started a new project working with the social housing sector in Scotland. This project felt... Read more
True confession time – as you would expect from someone working in the field of cybersecurity, I find the whole “industry” a fascinating minefield – the slightly shady criminal aspects, the big talk of nation state threats to critical national infrastructure, even what can be... Read more
‘Your answer to someone else’s problem is not the solution.’ The statement above was the statement that opened the ‘Scottish Government service design champion training’ that I attended last year. As a sector, more than ever in 2020 we need to ensure that our services are fit for... Read more
We get over 1,200 enquiries on the SCVO Information Service every year. Everything from setting up a charity, to taking on a new member of staff, to help with writing a safeguarding policy, or reviewing a property lease. But the top two topics are the same year in and year out... Read more
A Lean culture has two pillars, continuous improvement and respect for people. Great coaching is a place where these two meet. That is why we have made coaching a key part of the Deliver more value through Lean thinking course. The two-day course will fill your head with exciting... Read more
2020 is the Chinese year of the Metal Rat, and is the year of new opportunities, new beginnings and evolving. Digital for Good have an awesome opportunity for your organisation to grasp those new digital opportunities, to begin that new digital project and to realise... Read more
I'm the CEO of a small ( but fabulous) third sector organisation - and I can clearly remember life before computers, before mobile phones and before email. When I started work I had a Rolodex file on my desk with all my contacts. If I wanted to send a letter it took a minimum of... Read more
Last month, visitors to this site may have enjoyed a blog about the journey SCVO has been on to create a digitally confident third sector in Scotland by my colleague and Head of Digital, Sally Dyson. As a Digital Participation Officer, a large part of my role is to support... Read more
Sacro is a Scottish community justice organisation which works to create safer and more cohesive communities across Scotland. Sacro provides a wide range of services spanning all aspects of the community justice continuum. These range from conflict resolution to prevent disputes... Read more
My big adventure this year is working with third sector organisations in Scotland to apply Lean thinking. When I first talk to a team, not many have heard of Lean. A few can relate it to Toyota (where it started) but are not quite sure how it can be useful to their organisation... Read more
We have been running a digital lending library at Govan Housing Association for almost three years and have found that it is a brilliant way to reduce barriers to digital participation. To date our library consists of 22 iPad, 15 laptops, 3 Digital SLR Cameras, Audio Recording... Read more
Over the past few months we’ve been working closely with colleagues at Glasgow Kelvin College to develop a brand new qualification for the housing sector in Scotland. This new qualification, Certificate in Digital Inclusion Project Management, is a credit rated qualification at... Read more
Good governance relies on hard work and commitment, mutual respect and open communication, pretty much like building a team. Collaboration and good team work on a board is essential, because if your trustees don’t work well together, you don’t get good decision making, and this... Read more
One of the issues facing those interested in digital inclusion research is the incredible speed at which new publications emerge: the sheer quantity of pertinent information, both coming from the field of practice and from academic study, can be overwhelming. Over the last few... Read more
Sarah Neary, Digital Participation Officer at West of Scotland Housing Association, shares her chat with Lily - a tenant she's helped get online. Lily, 83, has been receiving home visits from our Digital Participation Officer to learn more about her iPad. Here she tells us what... Read more
Trustees Week 2019 saw Third Sector Lab and SCVO Digital bring together charities and people working in digital industries to create greater understanding of how we practically get more digital folk on charity boards. Digital Trustees Scotland was part of the roadshow developed... Read more
I’ve been lucky over the last few months to be a member of SCVO’s Digital Champions in Social Housing project. It’s been great to meet other people passionate about supporting our residents and our organisations to get better at digital. I’ve also been lucky enough to receive... Read more
We often use the term digital trustees as if they’re a homogenous group of people all with the same skillset. They’re not! There are so many digital skills, from web development to digital marketing to cyber security. Choosing someone with the right skills for your board (as with... Read more
Today marks the start of Trustees Week with a conference in Edinburgh where we’ll be celebrating all the great work that an estimated 180,000 trustees do across Scotland. The conference, ‘A Recipe for Success’, will be a chance for trustees and governance geeks to get together... Read more
Coming up with all the right ingredients for a hit event at the Gathering can feel challenging - but don't worry as help is at hand. A whopping 65 events take place across two days at the Gathering attracting thousands of people with different interests and roles. But why should... Read more
This June, I was lucky enough to be opening speaker at the Third Sector Lab Digital Trustees Scotland event held in Glasgow and funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. The event brought together senior leaders from the voluntary sector with people working in the digital... Read more
Back in August we were delighted to welcome 19 new Charter Fund organisations on board, and earlier today we joined one of them, The Marie Trust, as they hosted a ministerial visit by Kate Forbes, MSP. Kate Forbes MSP with Frances McKinley, Chief Exec at the Marie Trust The Marie... Read more
This year our Digital Participation Charter Fund had an incredible level of interest and the standards were very high. With a limited amount of funding it’s always disappointing not to be able to invest in everyone. Fortunately, as part of our involvement in the One Digital... Read more
Turcan Connell is delighted to become a new partner of the SCVO Pro Bono Service for charities and voluntary organisations which offers valuable and extremely worthwhile advice to SCVO members. It is particularly pleasing for me personally as a board member of SCVO since 201... Read more
It’s Pro Bono Week! – a global celebration of professional services for the public good, and here on SCVO’s Information Service we’re celebrating a new addition to our very own Pro Bono Service We’re pleased to announce that Turcan Connell will be joining our panel of experts to... Read more
Two things help or hinder the progress of digital evolution in any organisation – culture and leadership. Charities led by a senior team who trust their staff and understand the potential of technology, whose culture is focused on openness, experimentation and entrepreneurship... Read more
In my last blog I described how I had spent a large amount of my first few weeks trying to get to grips with the cyber support landscape here in Scotland. I am delighted to say that progress has been made and I now know my cyber catalyst network members from my NCSC resources – a... Read more
We’ve always been impressed with how committed housing sector staff are to their work, but we were blown away when one Tenant Participation Officer attended our second Digital Motivators Bootcamp in Inverness on the 9th and 10th September with a recently broken ankle - they were... Read more
Southside Housing Association is participating in SCVO’s Social Housing Digital Champions Network. Having joined the SCVO’s digital motivators group back in April, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting digital leaders from across Scotland’s social housing sector to discuss and debate... Read more
Kicking off in 2016, our Senior Leaders Programme has worked with over 90 voluntary sector leaders. Using an action learning set approach, we have helped and supported them to successfully navigate the digital landscape and be a leader in the 21st Century. Our participants attend... Read more
Digital technology has long been celebrated for making the world smaller through its ability to connect people all over the world, with the click of a mouse or touch of a screen, in an instant. However, the feedback we were collecting during our IT sessions was uncovering... Read more
The next decade could bring some of the most profound social, economic, political and environmental changes in living memory. In 2030, Scotland’s population will be larger and older. The rise of artificial intelligence and automation will have radically changed the jobs market... Read more
“That job description sounds like a challenge – I fancy that!” I can’t believe it is three months since I uttered those words and a mere one and a half months since the challenge became mine. My name is Alison Stone and I am the newly appointed Cyber Resilience co-ordinator at... Read more
In the spring of 2017 the Scottish Government Digital Participation Team approached North Ayrshire charity CLASP (Community Led Action & Support Project) to deliver a digital participation project. As a result, that summer I started as Digital Participation Officer to set up and... Read more
We were delighted to recently announce the seventh round of funding for the Digital Participation Charter Fund, shared between 19 organisations and benefiting over 3,000 people. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations’ (SCVO), in partnership with the Scottish Government... Read more
Anyone involved in running a voluntary sector organisation will be familiar with the challenge of finding both the time and the money to train their staff, volunteers and trustees. But professional and personal development is vital for any effective and well-run organisation and... Read more
This was how we had internally billed the second in a series of workshops bringing together funders and charities across Scotland. Our aim for this stream of work is to develop high level principles and models for re-focussing how funders and charities work together across... Read more
CAST is running three free ‘Design Hop’ workshops in partnership with SCVO in September, in Inverness, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Read more and sign up here. Are you keen to understand how ‘digital’ can help improve your organisation’s impact, reach and focus, but not sure where to... Read more
73% of charities want their senior team to offer a clear vision of digital and what it could help them achieve. Join a group of senior leaders and give your organisation the vision it wants. You have a unique opportunity to work alongside other voluntary sector CEOs, department... Read more
This is the second of our two-part report on the Digital Participation Charter pilot research - to read part one click here. Charter Commitments We asked participants to give us specific examples of how they had met, somewhat met or exceeded their Charter commitments. “We have... Read more
Currently one in five people in Scotland lack essential digital skills. These are the skills of communicating, handling information and content, transacting, problem solving and being safe and legal online This equips everyone to fully participate in modern day to day life. The... Read more
Cyber Essentials is like an MOT test for your car – it confirms that your IT systems have passed a key set of standards. If you can show that your organisation is meeting the security standards in Cyber Essentials, you can be confident that you have some protection against the... Read more
Last week the Charity Commission in England and Wales published its report into the safeguarding failures at Oxfam, which has determined to learn from past mistakes and implement the commission’s recommendations. The report should be vital reading for any trustee as it contains... Read more
Last week saw the release of the Lloyds Bank 2019 Consumer Digital Index and the Ofcom Adults: Media use and attitudes report 2019. These two reports contain key insights into the ways that different groups engage with the word through digital means, as well as highlighting those... Read more
Police Scotland are supporting Team Cyber UK’s phishing campaign on 7 June (co-ordinated by City of London Police) which just happens to tie in with National Fish and Chip Day, using this as an opportunity to put a cyber spin to the day - #MulletOver. The aim of the campaign is... Read more
When I started at SCVO three years ago, we maintained a wide portfolio of websites developed in different languages and technology stacks, including WordPress, bespoke ASP.NET, and PHP/MySQL. We also had a strategic direction to move all business data from separate databases into... Read more
I have been working on the Volunteering in NHSScotland Programme, hosted by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, for almost three years now. Our programme is staffed by myself and my manager, Alan Bigham. We support NHS Boards to ensure their volunteer programmes are safe, effective... Read more
In these days of busy, stressful lives, where one in four people suffer from mental health issues like depression and anxiety, it’s heartening to know that there are alternative solutions that don’t involve medication or therapy. Volunteering to help others can reduce stress... Read more
#IWill ambassador Mhairi McCann, aged 19, writes on how she became an #IWill Ambassador, the barriers she faced and why it’s important to celebrate young volunteers. Mhairi became an #IWill Ambassador in 2018 for her volunteering commitment to Scottish SPCA, Eco-Schools... Read more
The following blog is by Sally, who has been supported by Home-Start Glasgow South, as part of our #VolunteersWeekScot series: I’ve been blind all my life but never needed to ask for support before. I truly believed that I could embark on the journey of motherhood without any... Read more
Last year my life completely changed. Out of nowhere I suffered a stroke. I was completely taken by surprise, there were no warning signs. I woke up during the night and I just knew something was wrong. My husband, Joe thought I had just fallen out of the bed and hit my head. My... Read more
At Macmillan In Scotland we have over 1000 volunteers who dedicate their time and give so selflessly. So surely the impact is easy to quantify? Not in a traditional sense, where organisations are still focussed on counting things - number of volunteers, number of service users... Read more
1-7 June is Volunteers’ Week – a chance to celebrate and say thank you for the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK. It’s also an opportunity to promote the diversity, value and power of volunteering in all its forms – from front line operational work... Read more
SCVO have just updated our charity bank account comparison table which we do every year. This offers a chance to remind trustees that they should also be regularly reviewing the financial management of their organisation to ensure it’s as effective as possible. OSCR have some... Read more
Annual reports matter because of what they represent and what they can do. So, if you dread having to prepare your annual report and look at it as a chore, then you’re missing a trick. Your annual report is an ideal opportunity to tell your story. You can showcase your... Read more
Around 1 in 5 adults in Scotland do not have the digital skills that they need to make the most of new digital technology. The divide is becoming narrower but deeper, and the people who don’t have digital skills are also likely to face other types of disadvantage, such as poverty... Read more
In Part 1 of this blog, we looked at what insights we gained from a year of running a digital checkup and offering support calls. In this post, we look at what we learned about how this worked as a service. Just over a year ago, we went live with a beta version of our online... Read more
Find out how our first Digital Motivators in Housing Bootcamp went and how you can get involved in our future cohorts before applications close on 31st May. "I heard there are more smart phones than toothbrushes in the world!" This was just one of the many interesting discussion... Read more
What we’ve learned from a year of digital checkups At SCVO we’ve been running an online digital health check and follow-up for support for over a year. About 200 charities have taken the self-assessment, and over 60 of these have had follow-up support via a one-to-one phone call... Read more
Overview: There are an estimated 788,000 unpaid carers in Scotland, including 44,000 carers under the age of 18. A network of over 60 local carers centres exist across the Scotland to provide support services to carers in their local communities. These organisations range in size... Read more
Every year ‘Digital Leaders’ recognise the work of organisations and inspirational individuals working to make the most of the digital world. Last year Gillian Docherty- CEO for Scotland’s Data Lab was the overall winner. The fantastic work taking place across Scotland is well... Read more
For many of us the digital age has brought about new and ever more convenient ways of going about our day to day lives. Whether it’s doing our online banking, ordering the weekly food shop or buying presents for that family member whose birthday we forgot; digitalisation has... Read more
Diane Webb - Digital Policy Lead at Renfrewshire Council - writes here about sourcing an affordable laptop for a young man starting an apprenticeship. This brings to life the challenges outlined in reports such as “Switched on, digital access for all”, recently published by the... Read more
Spring is the season of new beginnings, which in terms of good governance can mean taking a look at recruiting new trustees to ensure your board is as effective as it can be. Effectiveness is one of the five principles of the Scottish Governance Code for the Third Sector which... Read more
Today marks the start of our first ever Cyber Scotland Week, centred around the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) CYBERUK, taking place on 24-25 April in Glasgow. This Scottish Government initiative raises awareness of the importance of cyber resilience to our citizens... Read more
It’s nearly one whole year since GDPR came into force, shortly followed by the Data Protection Act 2018 and things seem to have calmed down after the flurry of enquiries SCVO received in the weeks leading up to 25th May last year. But, to be honest – I’m a bit concerned, surely... Read more
There’s a lot of pressure on the third sector to become less dependent on grants and look at other ways of raising money. Any successful charity needs to have a diverse range of funding sources and income generation through trading can be an attractive prospect. But there are a... Read more
My late mother was fascinated by the digital age even though at that time it hadn’t gained the public consumption traction that it has today. We were all just dipping our toes in, googly-eyed with awe at all the shiny new technology that promised a life of ease and connectivity... Read more
Two years ago, I applied for a post in Govan Housing Association as their Digital Inclusion Worker. Coming from a CLD background the advert used all my favourite words; empowerment, inclusion and informal education, but I still remember my first thought being “Why would a... Read more
For so many of us being engaged digitally seems like such a natural part of our day. We check the weather and the news, we engage with people we know (or would like to), we bank, we shop…all elements of our everyday lives. But, often the people who could benefit most from being... Read more
Below is a blog by the team at North Ayrshire Women’s Aid, outlining their activities which have been supported by the Digital Participation Charter Fund: 'The Universal Women project began in March 2018, initially as a way to support the women in our service cope with the... Read more
The term “digital by default” trips off the tongue very easily in modern society, however for many members of our communities, going digital can be a very daunting task indeed. Having been appointed as Parkhead CAB’s new Digital Advisor at the end of 2018, I have been working to... Read more
We know you’re out there… Do you have a third sector hero that you know and admire? Someone who goes that extra mile and shows commitment and drive? I think we all do. Well now’s your chance to shine a light on them, and give them the recognition they deserve by nominating them... Read more
Camphill Blair Drummond offers a home, meaningful activities and opportunities for personal development to adults with learning disabilities and other special needs. Back in April 2017 an email came into the community which introduced the Digital Participation Charter Fund. At... Read more
COSLA have finally announced a deal with the SJC trade unions which is good news for the many third sector organisations in Scotland that use the scales to pay their staff. A three year pay offer has been agreed for 2018-2020, and SCVO members can access the new scales, as well... Read more
March 2019 - the days are getting longer, the weather brighter, and it’s time to get your organisation’s finances in order. This month is often the end of the financial year for many third sector organisations, and the race is on to set budgets for next year and get everything in... Read more
Maximising benefits and minimising risk or: ‘The invisible thin line between the individual’s rights and our duty to protect’ Towards the end of January, practitioners from across the third sector came together as part of SCVO’s One Digital agenda to focus on the issue of... Read more
At Big Hearts, we use the power of football to engage families and individuals in the local community who are most at risk of social isolation. This includes our work to support Kinship Carers – primarily grandparents caring for grandchildren full-time – and isolated older people... Read more
Officially launched on 30 January by Kate Forbes, Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy, the seventh round of the Digital Participation Charter Fund is now open and SCVO Digital looks forward to supporting further development of essential digital skills across Scotland... Read more
January saw me start the new year with a resolution to promote the Scottish Governance Code for the Third Sector With a call for trustees to get fit, governance style, I talked about how a board should make sure all of their organisation’s activities matched what they were set up... Read more
It's 2019 and the Digital Team at SCVO have kicked it off in style. We are working with some great partners to develop a network of digital champions working in social housing around Scotland and we're looking for organisations to join us. These digital champions will be in roles... Read more
I hope you’ve got 20 and 21 February marked in your diary for a trip to Glasgow. It’s the big event! The Gathering, the UK’s largest free third sector event in the UK is where you’ll find over 60 free workshops, seminars and training sessions and over 100 exhibitors. It’s your... Read more
With a year to go until Windows 7 reaches the end of its supported life, John Fitzgerald outlines the steps charities should be taking now. Read more
The gyms are full, the diets everywhere, and the alcohol all dried up. But what are you doing to ensure a healthy board for 2019? November 2018 saw the launch of the new Scottish Governance Code for the Third Sector and my New Year’s resolution (in a work context…) is to promote... Read more
Happy New Year! And looking back, it was a busy old year in the SCVO Information Service. First off, I’d like to start by thanking everyone who contacted the SCVO Information Service last year. During 2018 we received more than 1,400 enquiries on all manner of subjects, ranging... Read more
Last week I had the pleasure of facilitating SCVO Digital’s Storytelling Success: Describing your Digital Journey event at the William Quarrier Epilepsy Centre in Govan, Glasgow as part of our digital participation practitioner events programme. We were delighted to host... Read more
The latest research from Lloyds Banking Group identifies that 52% of charities have basic digital skills, a rise of 4% from 2017. This is coupled, at the other end of the scale, with the number of charities reporting as having none of the basic digital skills reducing from 10... Read more
SCVO launched the I Love Charity campaign in February 2018 to inspire trust in charities. The idea was to provide practical tools and resources to help the sector improve how it operates – the only way to truly stamp out negative headlines is to stamp out bad practice. And, as... Read more
This is the final blog in a series celebrating Trustees Week and the launch of the Scottish Governance Code for the Third Sector. I hope you’ve found them useful and have maybe managed to attend an event to celebrate all that is great about trustees and Scotland’s third sector... Read more
Today the Lloyds Banking Group publish the findings of the latest UK Business Digital Index survey, including a dedicated report for the charity sector. It is hugely encouraging to see the results demonstrate the progress being made by charities in adapting to our digital world... Read more
The principle of the trustees being in control of their organisation is essential to good governance, and is one of the five main principles of the Scottish Governance Code for the Third Sector. As with all of the Code principles, how a board might demonstrate and implement the... Read more
Sue Holland-Smith of Dundee City Council shares how Get Online Week worked for them. Here in sunny Dundee we have been on a bit of a Digital Skills journey over the past year or so. We have been developing our Digital Champions model through a series of Champions Gatherings... Read more