Membership is critical to our work. As a member led organisation and representative body for the voluntary sector in Scotland, SCVO welcomes the diversity of organisation types and sizes that contribute to a thriving sector. There is no single classification or legal structure that defines a voluntary organisation. Eligibility for SCVO membership is therefore determined by assessment of an organisation’s social purpose and who benefits from its activities.
SCVO members play an active role in shaping our work. If you are accepted as a member, you can influence policy, nominate to the Board and have voting rights.
You may be eligible for membership of SCVO if:
- Your organisation is a voluntary organisation – i.e. an independent, self-governing body of people who have come together to act for the benefit of the community.
- Your organisation works towards the principles of good governance in line with the Scottish Governance Code for the third sector and Checkup (five core principles of Organisational Purpose, Leadership, Board behaviour, Control and Effectiveness).
- Your organisation is non-profit distributing
- Your organisation has a presence in Scotland – i.e. your organisation is located in Scotland or your organisation has a postal address in Scotland (if you are located elsewhere in the UK, please consider joining our counterparts in England, Northern Ireland or Wales).
We also need to know if your organisation is intended to be long-term e.g. NOT a fixed term project of less than 3 years and not party-political
Please read our membership eligibility guidance for further information on these areas before submitting an application form.
If you would like to join us as a member, please visit our join us page.
Organisations not eligible for membership can join SCVO as a supporter.
Please note that our member and supporter benefits and fees differ, and are also dependent on your annual income. Full details can be found respectively on our members page, supporters page and fees page.
SCVO reserves the right to refuse membership to any organisation it believes has not met the eligibility as set out in our statement and guidance (see below).
