Society ======= **Societal issues including changing volunteering patterns, changing workforce expectations, and public perceptions of charities will have a direct impact on how organisations need to operate.** Rising polarisation and increasingly hostile public discourse are creating challenges for people working and volunteering in the sector, and on the people they support.  **Scottish society**  * Studies like the [Scottish Social Attitudes Survey,](https://www.gov.scot/collections/scottish-social-attitudes-survey/) [Understanding Scotland](https://understanding-scotland.co.uk/) and [Life in the UK (Scotland)](https://carnegieuk.org/publication/life-in-the-uk-2024-scotland/) show that the public is losing faith in government, becoming more dissatisfied with public services, and is increasingly worried about finances (of the country and their own).   * Respondents to the [Scottish Third Sector Tracker](https://scvo.scot/research/scottish-third-sector-tracker#:~:text=The%20Scottish%20Third%20Sector%20Tracker%20is%20a%20growing,the%20sector%20faces%20both%20new%20and%20ongoing%20challenges.) consistently report growing levels of need in their communities, in particular in relation to mental health, financial support and physical health.  * Health and income inequalities remain a significant aspect of Scottish society, [underpinned by](https://www.gov.scot/collections/equality-evidence/) structural inequalities along lines of gender, race or ethnicity, disability and nationality or migration status.  * While social unrest has been less prevalent in Scotland than other parts of the UK, it is increasingly seen in many communities.  **Rising polarisation** * There are increasing reports of workers and volunteers being targeted by populist groups, particularly those working with migrants or other marginalised groups. It is important that organisations do what they can to protect their staff, volunteers and the people they support from trolling and other forms of protest.  **Charities and the public**  * After a fall in public trust around 2014-16, trust in charities increased in recent years.  Trust in charities now ranks very high compared to other organisations, with [only trust in doctors ranking higher.](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-into-public-trust-in-charities-and-trustees-experience-of-their-role-2024/public-trust-in-charities-2024#overall-trust-in-charities)  * The sector is also recognised by the public as having an important role in [raising awareness](https://www.oscr.org.uk/media/4475/2022-05-06-oscr-8337_2022-charity-survey_main-report_v50.pdf) and lobbying on issues, as well as service delivery  * The Scottish Government has delayed its proposal for a wider review of charity regulation until after the 2026 Holyrood election.   **Volunteering** * According to the [Scottish Household Survey](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-household-survey-volunteering-2023/), volunteering rates have recovered, with 25% of adults taking part in formal volunteering. That’s over 1million volunteers. In Autumn 2025, more than two thirds of voluntary organisations reported issues with volunteer recruitment and over 40% noted issues with volunteer retention. This impacts service volunteers and trustees.   * [Wave 11 (Autumn 2025) of the Scottish Third Sector Tracker](https://files.scvo.scot/2026/01/wave-11_final.pdf?_gl=1*td9wu3*_gcl_au*MTY1ODkwMTIzMC4xNzY3NjA5ODk1) shows that volunteer recruitment and retention challenges remain acute, with 62% of organisations reporting moderate–significant difficulty and many highlighting reduced volunteer availability, volunteer fatigue, and a lack of staff capacity to support volunteers.  * Concerns about volunteer wellbeing are becoming more prevalent. **Trustees** * Third Sector Tracker data shows that trustees remain one of the hardest volunteer roles to fill, with 46% of Scottish voluntary organisations reported that recruitment and retention of board members and trustees was a challenge in Autumn 2025. Trustee recruitment is a particularly challenging for smaller charities. **The changing workplace**  * As organisations start to recruit workers from Gen Z, it is possible that some workplaces will contain workers from four different generations.  * Gen Z workers place a high value in a workplace that matches their values. Voluntary organisations should be well-placed to attract candidates on a values basis.  However Gen Z workers also have relatively [high expectations around salary](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2024/12/04/gen-zs-benchmark-for-financial-success-is-a-600k-salary/), which may be more challenging to meet in this financial climate for the sector.  * Recruitment data suggests that workers really [value flexible working and a hybrid workplace](https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2024/09/working-from-home-is-powering-productivity-bloom), although many organisations are still working through what this looks like for them.  * There is [a growing focus on wellbeing and mental health](https://scvo.scot/p/95812/2024/12/10/scvos-hr-service-two-years-on) within the workplace, and a growing recognition of the risk of burnout in the voluntary sector workforce.  * Equality and diversity of trustees and within the workplace is an area of focus for many organisations.  Prompts for planning  --------------------- How are the communities you work with impacted by social change?  How reliant is your organisation on volunteers?  Is that model sustainable?  How diverse is your (paid and unpaid) workforce?  What plans do you have in place to change this if necessary?  What is your organisational approach to the wellbeing and mental health of your staff, volunteers and trustees?  Do you have sufficient measures in place to protect your organisation, staff and volunteers from direct action such as trolling or in-person protests? Sources of support  ------------------- * SCVO’s HR Service provides resources on [employee engagement and culture](https://scvo.scot/support/hr/employee-engagement-culture) and [inclusive recruitment](https://scvo.scot/support/hr/recruitment-selection/guide-to-hiring-fairly)   * [Flexibility Works](https://www.flexibilityworks.org/training-consultancy/free-resources/) provides a range of free resources to support flexible working  * For support around volunteering, contact [Volunteer Scotland](https://www.volunteerscotland.net/) or your [local volunteer centre](https://volunteer.scot/help/find-support-locally)   * [Goodmoves](https://goodmoves.org/) can support with recruitment of trustees and paid staff  * [William Grant Foundation](https://www.williamgrantfoundation.org.uk/putting-the-i-and-we-in-wellbeing/) have collated sources of support and information on wellbeing in the voluntary sector workforce * [Directory of Social Change - Charities against hate – How to respond to racism](https://www.dsc.org.uk/publication/charities-against-hate-how-to-respond-to-racism/)   Join us at The Gathering  ------------------------- The Gathering 2025 is over, check back later for information about future events. Related training and events --------------------------- No upcoming training or events, please check again later [Previous: The Economy](/support/running-your-organisation/shifting-sands/economy) [Next: Technology](/support/running-your-organisation/shifting-sands/technology) ### [![Third Force News](https://storage.googleapis.com/scvo-assets/test/scvo/images/logos/tfn-lochan.svg?version=0.0.1508)](https://tfn.scot)Related news  [Read more](https://tfn.scot/news) [ ![Placeholder illustration](https://storage.googleapis.com/scvo-platform-assets/scvo/images/placeholder.png?version=) #### Dyslexia tartan will help create an inclusive society 28 May 2026 ](https://tfn.scot/news/dyslexia-tartan-will-help-create-an-inclusive-society "Dyslexia tartan will help create an inclusive society") [ ![Placeholder illustration](https://storage.googleapis.com/scvo-platform-assets/scvo/images/placeholder.png?version=) #### Scotland’s search for social innovators reopens 26 May 2026 ](https://tfn.scot/news/scotlands-search-for-social-innovators-reopens "Scotland’s search for social innovators reopens") [ ![Placeholder illustration](https://storage.googleapis.com/scvo-platform-assets/scvo/images/placeholder.png?version=) #### It’s high time we made good on a 50-year old commitment on Human Rights 25 May 2026 ](https://tfn.scot/opinion/its-high-time-we-made-good-on-a-50-year-old-commitment-on-human-rights "It’s high time we made good on a 50-year old commitment on Human Rights") --- ## About SCVO SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) is the national membership organisation for Scotland's voluntary sector. Our role is to champion the role of voluntary organisations in Scotland and to support them to do work that has a positive impact. SCVO supports members and the wider voluntary sector with all aspects of setting up and running a voluntary organisation. SCVO represents the needs and concerns of the voluntary sector to the Scottish government in Holyrood and UK government and Westminster. Through our learning and events programme SCVO offers training and development opportunities to the sector. Members access an extensive membership benefits package including specialist, in-depth, 1-to-1 guidance from our Information Services team and from professional service partners. Access to exclusive membership networks (including comms, employers, governance and policy) supports members to grow their connections, stay up to date, exchange ideas and views with peers, and learn through tailored, learning opportunities. SCVO members enjoy free access to Funding Scotland Premium to stay on top of funding opportunities to support their organisation’s financial resilience. Discounts and savings savings on SCVO products and services (including our HR service, managed IT support, payroll service and events and training) and partner offers provide members with support to allow them to focus on delivering their organisation’s goals. Further SCVO products and services include [extensive digital support](https://scvo.scot/support/digital), a climate action resource [Growing Climate Confidence](https://climateconfident.scot), a voluntary sector publication [Third Force News](https://tfn.scot) and a voluntary sector jobs and recruitment service [Goodmoves](https://goodmoves.org). For more information on SCVO membership, visit [SCVO membership](https://scvo.scot/membership)