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.
Part E: SCVO’s role in securing progress on funding - where do we go from here?
Our conversations with intermediaries were set up with the dual aim of working with them to improve their funding experience and to extract learning and solutions that might be applied elsewhere. SCVO wants to see a convincing response from the Scottish Government and those responsible for disseminating Scottish Government funds to the funding challenges faced not only by voluntary sector intermediaries but across Scotland’s voluntary sector.
If this paper is to add value to both aims, where do we go from here? We asked intermediaries what they considered to be SCVO’s role in addressing the funding issues and challenges experienced by intermediaries. While the comments below are about SCVO’s specific work with voluntary sector intermediaries, they will undoubtedly apply elsewhere.
On funding, SCVO should:
Lead on sector funding challenges and finding solutions
“SCVO should lead on third sector funding issues and how we'd like funds to look. We are in no position to do this work ourselves. And our members won't be, too.”
“SCVO should lead senior level engagement with Scottish Government on the development of solutions.”
“Focus on longer-term thinking on funding and post-Brexit funding”
“Focus on longer-term thinking on funding and post-Brexit funding”
“Play an advocacy role with the Scottish Government, bringing together views of the network and others into SCVO policy.”
“Look at what are the significant systemic issues and how we address some of these.”
Support a strong collective voice to influence funding
“SCVO to campaign for intermediaries funding – SCVO has a stronger voice, easily recognised.”
“Build a collective voice by bringing people together on message.”
“Help to join the dots with similar organisations.”
“A practical option would be increasing impact by bringing people together.”
“SCVO is an umbrella body. It’s big enough and has leverage to use on behalf of the sector – we face a constant tight rope with how we as a smaller organisation can push.”
“SCVO has a key role in connecting local, national, and UK.”
“We need to think about how we collectively add value. The more we keep ourselves in corners, the less we respond in the way we need to respond.”
“We need to build a clearer picture of who is impacting what areas – who are the anchors in localities, and we need to know who to go to? It's been building up and changing during the pandemic.”
“The government doesn't appreciate the knock-on impact of one-year funding and reduced funding on those on the ground and those we fund – SCVO can help to raise this issue.”
Work with intermediaries to get the balance right when pushing on funding
“We need to be careful with pushing and working with intermediaries to get the balance right.”
“There are different challenges for intermediaries, and we need to understand this. SCVO are starting to do it now with one-to-ones.”
“This work needs to be anonymous. My staff were concerned with me talking about these issues.”
More generally, SCVO should:
Continue conversations similar to these calls
“Conversations like this are really positive.”
“This type of meeting is exactly what I wanted – I was really pleased to see it when the invite came through.”
“More of these calls, then get together as a group – how far can we push it?”
Enhance the resources it already provides
“The specific things SCVO does for intermediaries are really helpful.”
“State of the sector survey is always useful”
“SCVO’s briefing paper on what is an intermediary and what intermediaries do is a really good paper.”
Ensure its engagement and influencing activity is accessible
“Think about places where SCVO policy or other information can go that's easy to understand and accessible.”
“Make it easy for our members to engage. We may not have the time to do this ourselves on your behalf, but they're a good audience with whom we can share things.”
“I’ve been to some intermediaries meetings, but calendars are jammed pack – it’s too difficult to attend these.”
“Find solutions to engagement that recognise time and capacity issues.”
“I'm bad at attending intermediaries’ meetings, although they are really useful.”
“Attending the intermediaries group is a capacity issue.”
Make the case for intermediaries and sector infrastructure
“Make the case for intermediaries and why are they essential.”
“Promote the impact and multiplier effect of intermediaries.”
“Highlight that if government value an area of policy, then having an organisation that promotes this can help generate public support for investment.”
“Highlight the economies of scale and efficiencies. Showing how much better it could be and impact.”
Run a workshop/seminar aimed at civil servants. It could cover what the third sector is and what the role of intermediaries is.”
Always build evidence that is fair and representative
“Everything SCVO says should be for the good of the sector. Having an opinion is not being informed.”
“I expect my voice to be represented – SCVO should be taking the responsibility on funding, accessibility of it, and levelling the playing field.”