Research blog

A new report from SCVO highlights the human cost of welfare reform - and it is a price too high to pay. Read more

Report summary In this report SCVO presents third sector perspectives on the impact of welfare reform on the people and communities it supports in Scotland. It is based on research carried out by SCVO during summer 2014. It builds on an earlier SCVO mapping study which reported... Read more

Do we really need another charity giving campaign? We’ve just had the hyped-up shopping binges of Black Friday and Cyber Monday and now today we have a new online campaign to encourage people to give their time and money to good causes under the #givingtuesday banner. When told... Read more

Rhetorical question: can something really be called a ‘snapshot’ when it takes five months to produce? Every two years SCVO data elves analyse hundreds of third sector annual accounts to produce a snapshot of the sector’s finances and analyse the key trends in the sector’s income... Read more

Background This is the first in a series of research briefings which outline the headline findings of SCVO’s 2014 panel survey, and gives an overview of how the third sector funds its work and where it spends its money. The figures are based on detailed analysis of annual... Read more

Ten tips on encouraging people to join your board. Read more

Last week I had a dilemma. What to wear to a poverty and social exclusion conference? I know that seems shallow given the serious context, but something just feels wrong about sitting in a nice room in smart clothes discussing how many people can’t afford to clothe their kids... Read more

Scotland and the world around it are changing. From demography to technology, environment to economy, faith to fiscal policy, nothing about our society is standing still. For the third sector, how Scotland changes in the next two to three years matters less than how it changes in... Read more

Putting people at the heart of Scotland's future We want a Scotland that has a shared sense of purpose, is fair and prosperous, and where the entire population has the opportunity to participate on equal terms. This ambition is the biggest political, policy and practical... Read more

Introduction This paper is the second in a series that looks to promote conversation about some of the big issues in the run-up to and period after the 2014 Scottish Referendum, amplifying the voice and ideas of the third sector and the people it supports. The Scottish Council... Read more