Policy blog

This week, the Scottish Government published its landmark review of the progress Scotland has made in delivering the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. The review was developed in partnership... Read more

Scotland’s Advisory Group for Economic Recovery for Scotland published a report last month which paid tribute to the country’s voluntary sector and noted that action was required to protect the capacity and financial sustainability of the sector. Voluntary organisations have... Read more

As some of you with long memories might remember, the UK once voted to leave the European Union. Yes, way back in June 2016 Britain took back control, cut the cord from Brussels and stepped out into a world of unimaginable free trade riches. Except, that’s not exactly what... Read more

Early in the pandemic a colleague sent me a fascinating webinar from experts in crisis response. It talked about the importance of keeping yourself and your organisation “in lane” – making sure that you’re contributing to the discussions in which you’ve got expertise and insight... Read more

Our analysis of the voluntary sector’s pre-COVID finances, published today, highlights a complex patchwork funding landscape of fundraising, trading, contracts, grants and reserves, all of which have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in different ways. The complexity of... Read more

SCVO has come together with the Third Sector Employability Forum (TSEF) to combine the knowledge within TSEF and its network on employability, and the capacity of SCVO to reach the whole of the voluntary sector and to liaise with government. TSEF provides an effective, collective... Read more

As the sun shone this weekend, many of us were pleased that lockdown restrictions were eased slightly as we entered Phase 1 in Scotland’s route map through and out of the coronavirus crisis. As we move into the next phase, it is important to understand the impacts of the initial... Read more

A week may be a long time in politics, as the saying goes, but a week during a global pandemic is even longer. Like many, I’ve found the pace of change, and the pace of work that accompanied it, difficult to keep up with. As a sector we have done a phenomenal job to respond at... Read more

The voluntary sector's contribution during the coronavirus pandemic in Scotland has been extraordinary, as to has the shock, uncertainty and pain felt by so many. Thousands of our colleagues continue to play a vital role in the national response to the virus, and they have all... Read more

What is ‘sustainable development’? Not as simple a question as it may seem – the emphasis on what needs to develop and what needs to be sustainable often shifts depending on who or where you ask... Rarely do you get an answer which doesn’t give precedence to one economic, social... Read more