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
It’s Pro Bono Week! - a global celebration of professional services for the public good #PBW18 And it’s also a cause for celebration here at SCVO because our very own Free Legal Advice Service is 10 years old. Since we started the Service in 2008, we’ve dealt with over 60... Read more
Taking part in the SCVO Senior Leaders programme can help you become a winner. From winning actual awards to securing new funding, starting new projects and employing new staff. Applications are now open for the fourth round of the programme – apply here. Two of our actual award... Read more
The last weeks have been pretty immersive (read: chaotic). With Mhor Collective, One Digital and SCVO, we’ve been working with some fantastic third sector organisations to understand the challenges they face when addressing issues of digital inclusion, and- hopefully- work with... Read more
“You can’t get out of homelessness these days if you are digitally excluded” “You can’t have a conversation about how to do things better, without digital emerging. You can’t stop it.” I’ve heard these two statements at events over the past few weeks, from prominent leaders in... Read more
Your charity is probably dabbling in the world of digital right now, maybe you have a fairly healthy social media presence, perhaps you’ve moved to the cloud or you’re starting to use data to make better decisions. I want you to consider how much of this currently sits in silos... Read more
It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for! It’s been a busy couple of months behind the scenes at SCVO Digital and we are delighted to (finally!) be able to announce the launch of Scotland’s Essential Digital Skills Toolkit. In consultation with over 60 different organisations... Read more
In a previous role my monthly team meetings used to be PAINFUL. Action list of over 30 items. Long, boring individual updates. People on their phones. This could be so much better (I fumed). So. I became a changemaker – I stole from the digital startup community and we introduced... Read more
For a journalist in the modern era, a significant proportion of one’s week is made up of reading, rewriting and deleting press releases from an email inbox. A good press release can brighten up a reporter’s day, a bad one can result in use of expletives and is likely to be sent... Read more
We’ve all seen the recent media spotlight on well-known charities’ safeguarding failures and the wider fallout for our sector as a whole. As with the fundraising scandals of 2015, the general public expect charities to meet very high ethical standards, and where they fall short... Read more
Despite the warmest summer since 1976 (I was reliably informed at a Digital Champion training session with the wonderful C-Change Scotland that ’76 was the last roaster of a summer and we discussed at length melting tarmac, skint knees and eating Wall’s Feet in the Airdrie area... Read more
Over the last year I’ve worked with Scotland's Third Sector Governance Forum to draft a new Scottish Governance Code. We’re now looking for your views on whether we’ve got it right. The Code sets out five broad principles of good governance that can act as a point of reference... Read more
The University of Oxford Internship Office runs several programmes designed to help organisations connect with current Oxford students. Hiring an intern from Oxford can be of value to any type of organisation. Our internship partners enjoy engaging with students of initiative and... Read more
I’ve just joined the SCVO Digital team as Digital Evolution Officer. I’ve enjoyed getting to know the team and learning about the wide range of ways we’re helping charities across Scotland get to grips with digital. My work on digital evolution will involve connecting with and... Read more
At this start of 2018, the third sector was rocked by a fall in public trust and damning headlines of unacceptable charity failures. In reality, public trust in charities is still high in Scotland - 73% of those questioned in an SCVO survey in November 2017 strongly or tended to... Read more
Cyber security. Maybe that term conjures up an image in your mind of a hacker in a hoodie attempting to break into government systems, just like we see in films. However, the reality is that cyber crime is big business, perpetrated by organised crime groups, nation states and... Read more
The Workplace Equality Fund is a £750,000 fund to support third sector organisations and private businesses, with a base in Scotland, in reducing employment inequalities, discrimination and barriers in the workplace. The fund is managed by the Voluntary Action Fund and grants of... Read more
It’s been a couple of months now since I started my research with One Digital and the University of the West of Scotland and I already feel that to pick out some highlights from my reading is a tall order. So, grab a coffee (and apologies if there are some articles you need an... Read more
I like meetups. I like that they are informal. I like that I can learn new things. And most of all I like that I meet people who care about the same things that I do - it inspires me to be better. We identified a gap in Scotland a few years ago for people who also like meetups... Read more
If you had asked me a couple of years ago why I would volunteer, I would have said curiosity. If you were to ask me now, I would say because it is fun. My adventure with volunteering started in my second year of university, when I found out about Girlguiding volunteers... Read more
In recent weeks I’ve been pondering developments in technology – in particular robots and artificial intelligence (AI). I’m thoughtful of how these advances might impact on the future of volunteering. A common narrative on this theme is people versus technology. It’s one or the... Read more
Last Monday I was delighted to join the SCVO Digital team in a new role as Digital Participation Officer. I received a warm welcome from my new team members and have been enjoying getting to know everyone over the last week. I have joined the team following six years in... Read more
“If you want something finished quickly, hand it to the busiest person in the room” – Jenny Craig (my Mum). I never thought I’d be the person who people came to for help. Since I discovered the joys of volunteering, I have always wanted to be busy, signing up for new projects and... Read more
Street Assist (SCIO) was founded in April 2016 by myself and a group of volunteers who wanted to make a difference at the same time as supporting and assisting people who had become vulnerable through circumstance. The project delivers a non-judgemental, safe environment for... Read more
Lloyds Banking Group, encompassing Bank of Scotland, has launched the third iteration of its UK Consumer Digital Index. It is based on the data of 1 million of its customers and this includes 9,000 1-2-1 interviews. The news is mixed. Overall, as other analyses highlight, the... Read more
I launched DFID’s Digital Ninja network from East Kilbride in late 2015. Back then, it was clear that digital was becoming essential to increase the department’s capabilities. Why? Better digital skills are a UK civil service-wide priority: being able to use modern digital tools... Read more
Are we clear about what we want our investments to do for us? Whether you’re choosing between existing charity investment funds or asking a portfolio manager to select investments for you, it’s critical that you know what your priorities are. Are you looking for inflation-beating... Read more
Good governance is vital to the success and sustainability of third sector organisations. But good governance doesn’t just support the day-to-day running of organisations, it also helps maintain and strengthen public confidence in all of the third sector. That’s why Scotland’s... Read more
As a trustee it’s a vital governance responsibility to ensure the safe stewardship of your organisation’s assets. OSCR have some great guidance on Banking for Charities and SCVO have just updated our charity bank account comparison table. It doesn’t just feature the high street... Read more
Below is a blog by the team at Lairg and District Learning Centre, and their experience of the Digital Participation Charter Fund: "It’s been a whirlwind of a year at Lairg and District Learning Centre, with our team of fantastic tutors delivering a huge range of community based... Read more
The pace of change has never been this fast and will never be this slow again*. So, how do we make sure that we keep up? A question which exercises me often. One of the ways is accepting that we can’t. Sometimes we need to use something for a while, take a break, reflect and... Read more
Like all project managers I’m kept busy with the day to day. It can be hard to find the time to sit back, review and reflect. I am therefore super excited that through the One Digital project (funded by the Big Lottery Fund) we have been able to part fund a PhD studentship... Read more
Does our sector need to consider a new approach to volunteering? History is littered with examples of things that have been unsuccessful as a result of a failure to recognise the need for a change in approach. Remember Blockbuster Film rental? Bigger at the time, they turned down... Read more
This week we’re opening our 12th Digital Drop-In , funded by the Digital Participation Charter Fund. Through the Drop-In we provide people with friendly, informal help and support with basic digital skills, with a range of partner agencies across Edinburgh. People are free to use... Read more
Can you think about a service which you use every week which is almost completely run by volunteers? It disrupted a 250 year old industry and made a Microsoft product irrelevant. That service is Wikipedia, with 136,119 volunteers contributing in the last 30 days to the English... Read more
We live in an increasingly tech-driven world with digital mediums having made their way to the centre stage impacting our daily lives. Digital technology presents huge opportunities, however its success cannot be achieved without connection with people. At Airdrie Citizens Advice... Read more
With 21% of adults in Scotland lacking basic digital skills, tackling digital exclusion is high on the agenda. But where do you start and who is in a position to help? This photo, taken during the recent visit of Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External... Read more
I’m afraid the short answer is no, we don’t. That’s probably not what you want to hear but I promise there’s a good reason why! The SCVO Information Service has had lots of requests for template policies and privacy notices so we know people are desperate to have them. But it’s a... Read more
The thought of ‘Going Digital’ for many people can be a turn off, a daunting task or even classed as a chore. However, with all the current changes to the Welfare System and many services migrating online, Glasgow North West Citizens Advice Bureau (GNWCAB) took the opportunity to... Read more
Today (28 March) The Welcoming hosted the formal launch by Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop of a further £200,000 to support Digital Participation Charter Fund projects. We say it over and over but forgive me the opportunity of saying it again – getting people online and developing... Read more
It’s been a week where the nefarious use of personal data by Cambridge Analytica has dominated news headlines. What you might have missed is that this week Scotland is hosting a celebration of the use of data (in its broadest sense!) for good. Dozens of events are taking place as... Read more
FOTA: How we use Good HQ It’s nearly six months since Friends of The Award in Edinburgh & the Lothians (AKA FOTA) claimed their page on Good HQ. They now have five reviews from a range of people that support the charity, including volunteers, members and service users. We caught... Read more
We know that charities are still not fully engaged with cyber threats and the risks they pose; phishing scams, ransomware and accidental loss of data. But now, with policies changing and GDPR looming, inactivity to these threats could soon come with sanctions. Over the last six... Read more
Good HQ Community Manager Lauren Plüss shares Big Hearts' experience of using the platform to gain feedback for their organisation. Big Hearts: How we use Good HQ Being a finalist in the Scottish Charity Awards in 2017, Big Hearts signed up to Good HQ to help promote their work... Read more
“We need to be much more proactive with the positive narrative around the vital work of the third sector. It’s not about ignoring the bad; it’s about getting a balance right" - Nicola Sturgeon at The Gathering, 21 February 2018. The media reporting of the Oxfam Scandal and the... Read more
In developing this website, we went through the following process: Define a project scope Document user needs Investigate existing usage patterns and audience profiles (analytics) Requirements gathering ("As a ... I need/want/expect to ... so that ...") Information architecture... Read more
We’re delighted that Citizens Advice Scotland recently repeated their research which digs a bit deeper into the headline digital exclusion figures. Their research was based on surveying more than 1,200 people seeking advice with more than half of the 61 CABx participating. I’ve... Read more
For many years I’ve spent the best part of my weekdays in-front of a computer screen- scanning emails, writing reports, Googling the answers to crosswords (don’t tell anyone). I’ve just been lucky enough to have ten months off work on maternity leave. In that time I have spent... Read more
Recent studies have shown that two thirds of Scottish adults are overweight or obese. This means that obesity is now an issue that affects most third sector organisations supporting people in communities and requires urgent attention. Voluntary Health Scotland will be leading a... Read more
The issue of a Scottish Governance Code for the third sector has been discussed in the past but has never got off the ground. At Scotland’s Third Sector Governance Forum, that troubled us. We think the Scottish third sector could really benefit from its own Governance Code. Good... Read more
Anyone who knows an infantile adult or a surprisingly sure-headed teen knows that maturity is only loosely aligned with age. More likely indicators of maturity include knowing your strengths, working on your weaknesses and being clear about your purpose and direction. So it is... Read more
SCVOs digital evolution programme focuses on supporting organisations to understand how digital technologies can help them transform. So far we’ve taken our soundings from a vast array of leaders who have participated in and shown their interest in our Senior Leaders Programme... Read more
We were in need of a new website. Does this situation sound familiar? Our existing website had over 1,200 pages and posts, it was running WordPress with a bespoke theme and many plugins in various states of maintenance, the design felt dated and it was difficult to find content... Read more
Have you ever pondered the basic digital skills framework and wondered how or even why particular elements are in there? Well, now’s your opportunity to question, challenge and re-shape its content. The Tech Partnership is leading a consultation and refresh supported by a... Read more
This year will see SCVO celebrate a ten year anniversary for our free legal advice service. In that time our legal partners have provided essential support to over 500 SCVO member organisations. Just last year, our survey of service users found that 100% would recommend the... Read more
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a hot topic right now. You can barely open a newspaper without reading an article about some new AI milestone, or a comment piece about why we are all going to lose our jobs to automation in the next decade. At CAF we have been trying to stay one... Read more
Did you know that all charity trustees are collectively responsible for the effective financial management of their organisation? No, it’s not just down to the treasurer… That’s why it’s essential, if you’re a trustee, that you have a handle on your charity’s finances, and are... Read more
Comic Relief have just opened applications for their third round of the Tech for Good Programme. This aims to support organisations to develop or scale digital solutions which deliver new or improved services to beneficiaries. Funding for up to 12 projects, each with grants of up... Read more
The need for third sector organisations to forge ahead using digital across all aspects of their organisations has never been so great. Technology continues apace and shows no signs of slowing. So, what do we do? Where do we start and how do we progress? These were questions we... Read more
Scotland’s Third Sector Governance Forum was set up in 2009 after a roundtable meeting to discuss findings from study into leadership and governance that showed that boards consistently rated their organisational effectiveness higher that the CEO and staff of the organisation. At... Read more
Last week, I spoke at Social Media for Social Good on harnessing the power of online reviews. As Community Manager at Good HQ, one of the first questions I’m asked is “how do I encourage people to write reviews?” There are some easy wins when you first claim your page, like... Read more
Last year SCVO supported a group of senior leaders from a wide range of organisations to launch a Call to Action for a Digitally Confident Third Sector in Scotland. More than 100 sector leaders discussed, debated and contributed their experiences, hopes and fears at an... Read more
Did you feel misunderstood as a young person? I certainly did! Didn't it feel frustrating and isolating? Did you vow that you'd never lose touch with where young people are actually at? Have you lost touch? Are we at risk of perpetuating that misunderstanding and misconception? I... Read more
Never mind the countdown to Christmas, there’s only 241 days left to get ready for Data Protection D-Day! Last Thursday saw me at the SCVO Data Protection conference in Edinburgh. The event sold out remarkably quickly - evidence that the third sector has concerns about GDPR – the... Read more
Being cyber resilient is both the prevention of cyber breaches and also making sure that if a breach occurs you are able to respond without losing business continuity. A cyber breach isn’t necessarily a ‘hack’, but it is any incident in which data is lost or stolen, including... Read more
It’s a big question, with a complex answer. While 8 out of 10 people use the internet on a daily basis, the statistics showing high levels of use hide a deeper digital divide. The latest evidence Yesterday we published new research exploring what digital exclusion looks like in... Read more
In my previous blog, I talked about the process of applying for Universal Credit online and the implications for those without basic digital skills. As a digital service, it’s easy to interact with and its development has been based on the latest standards for building good... Read more
Through a series of unfortunate events, I’ve found myself suddenly unemployed.I don’t have any savings and I’ve built up some credit card debt. This was manageable when I had a job, but now I’m worried how I’m going to be able to pay the bills.I’m a single parent and determined... Read more
Here in Team Digital we recently had a discussion about exactly how secure public WiFi is (life in Digital can get pretty intense!). The debate centered around whether a public, but trusted, WiFi provider was essentially secure if you were only accessing sites with HTTPS enabled... Read more
The big stooshie over what the BBC pays its stars made for interesting reading last week, and anyone from the third sector who thinks this bad news story has no bearing on what we do, should think again… Last week’s BBC Annual Report and Accounts not only showed seven figure... Read more
With a flurry of fundraising news over the last few weeks where the considerable focus (and, in some cases, criticism) has been south of the border, you may be thinking ‘what does this mean for Scotland?’ The first thing to note is that Northern Ireland came to a decision on what... Read more
Cre8te ran FEMDA, the ‘Female Ethnic Minority Digital Academy’, in conjunction with the charity Saheliya. They said: “We recruited for our first group of learners by holding assessments to make sure the class was the right thing for them. They started their training in January... Read more
During #DLweek, SCVO digital connected with charity senior leaders to celebrate and inspire digital change. Catch up with the key elements of the day via Sally's special recipe for success. Read more
Any successful charity should have a diverse range of funding sources. Income generation through trading, by selling goods or services for a profit, can be an attractive prospect, but you need to look before you leap! There’s a lot to think about before considering trading, and... Read more
"What new apps are you using?" (or a variant of this) is one of the most frequent questions that the @digiscot team is asked. So often in fact, that we started cataloguing the many apps and useful digital tools that came across our desks. Some we trialled, some we just logged... Read more
I had a rare day out of the office last week and went back to school to learn more about how charities in my local area could access £3,000 of funding by engaging with students at the local High School. On a rainy General Election day I took cover from the developing storms (and... Read more
Lloyds Banking Group is one of the Digital Participation Charter signatories. As part of their commitment to helping support everyone in Scotland to develop basic digital skills some of their teams are spending time, under the banner of 'Day to Make a Difference', with local... Read more
We all know how hard it can be to recruit trustees, but a new report has found that it’s not that people aren’t interested in being on a board - the problem is down to poor recruitment practices that are in danger of damaging the effectiveness of charities across the UK. The... Read more
Let's all celebrate and have a good time - the words of Kool & the Gang are particularly relevant this Volunteers’ Week! A week that’s all about celebrating the dedication, time and effort of the thousands of volunteers who give up their time to support good causes across... Read more
The digital revolution has already happened and we are living in the aftermath. "The scale of change that has taken place – in how people chose to communicate, watch TV, learn, bank, shop and organise their lives has been likened to the industrial revolution" writes Julie Dodd in... Read more
Digital trail blazing in the third sector Have you ever been the first person to try something? Were you the one who braved a new hair style or fashion trend? Maybe you changed your career later in life (dreams of being an astronaut never die) or moved to the other side of the... Read more
To raise awareness of your favourite good cause? To thank an organisation for their hard word? To recognise the dedication of an awesome team of staff? Whatever the reason, we want to hear about it on Good HQ! If you’ve already voted this year (well done, you’re quick off the... Read more
Many people believe that charities don’t pay tax – but that’s just not the case! Whilst charities do benefit from a range of tax incentives on charitable giving - particularly from Gift Aid - there are still at least 18 different taxes that can affect them. The Charity Tax group... Read more
Skyscanner OneDay workshops At Skyscanner, we take one day each year to close down our 11 offices around the world and give everyone the chance to get involved with an activity that benefits their local community, we thought long and hard about what to call this initiative and... Read more
The Independent Fundraising Standards & Adjudication Panel for Scotland was formally established in December 2016, to promote good fundraising standards and adjudicate on fundraising complaints throughout Scottish registered charities. You can hear more about the Panel’s role in... Read more
You could not fail to miss the coverage of the worldwide ransomware attack over the weekend which particularly affected the NHS. The scale of the attack, and its impact on public services, is unprecedented. However, similar attacks happen on a daily basis and third sector... Read more
It's time to check if your charity has the right bank account Read more
Money, money, money ... and the easter bunny! Read more
Which charities will you choose for the greatest awards ceremony of the year? Read more
Check out some of the inspirational feedback for a range of charities Read more
Looking back on two inspirational days of digital sharing Read more
How to avoid becoming bad news Read more
Trustees don’t have to come up with creative fundraising ideas, but they do have to scrutinise them Read more
How feedback helped us improve GoodHQ Read more
A how to guide for making the most of Google for Non Profits Read more
Unmissable events for charity trustees Read more
There’s a lot to think about if changing your charity form, especially getting the right fit Read more
Charity feedback platform GoodHQ can help boost public trust in your cause Read more
Rhona McAdam from SCVO pro bono service partner Burness Paull shares advice on handling the awkward situation of removing charity trustees Read more
Make sure your village hall trustees are protected by checking your legal structure Read more
A taste of what we have planned for Trustees - and there's still time to book Read more