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About Us

Our strategic objectives are to:

  • Build voluntary sector capacity and strengthen governance
  • Increase the effectiveness of the voluntary sector’s infrastructure
  • Promote citizen action and civic engagement
  • Improve the voluntary sector’s contribution to better Scottish public services
  • Promote civil society interaction locally, nationally and globally

Our strategic plan for 2020 identifies 9 activity areas to work towards these objectives, and 3 strategic themes to influence our approach, as follows:

  • Promote equality
  • Be aware of the distinctive needs of rural communities
  • Take a sustainable development approach

More on our objectives:

Capacity and governance

SCVO aims to build voluntary organisations’ capacity by maximising the funding that reaches them, minimising the regulatory compliance and red tape burdens on them and by providing organisational development support. We recognise the critical role of good governance in voluntary organisations and aim to improve standards across the sector.

Effectiveness of infrastructure

SCVO aims to enhance the capacity of the voluntary sector as a whole by focusing on the effectiveness of the intermediary bodies which link and support voluntary organisations by their area of interest and the network of local councils for voluntary service.

Citizen action and civic engagement

SCVO aims to support individuals to get involved in voluntary organisations whether established or new. Our emphasis is on understanding why people get involved and form voluntary organisations, and on supporting them better to do so, whether as volunteers, staff, or campaigners. We have a particular emphasis on those that take responsibility in the sector – the trustees.

We also aim to support people, by engaging with each other through their own organisations, to engage more effectively with the State.

Better public services

SCVO aims to improve the voluntary sector’s contribution to better public services, by growing the share of delivery carried out by voluntary organisations where appropriate, and seeking to influence the design and management of public services to harness the strengths of voluntary sector involvement, such as greater involvement of users and a more person-centred approach. We aim for a more influential voice in the debate about transforming public services to meet the needs of future generations.

Civil society interaction

SCVO aims to promote the interaction between voluntary organisations, and between voluntary organisations and others in civil society such as trade unions and faith groups. Working together we can achieve more than we can separately to promote our values and interests. We recognise that we live in an increasingly interdependent world and voluntary organisations, as well as government and corporate bodies, should be equipped to operate at all levels, locally, Scotland, UK, Europe and globally.