Did you know that SCVO membership is free for groups and organisations with an income below £50,000? We take a look at what else SCVO has to offer and how you could benefit from signing up.

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, often referred to as SCVO, is the membership organisation for Scotland’s charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises.

SCVO works with organisations of all shapes and sizes and understands the day-to-day struggle that many small organisations face, often due to limited resources and capacity.

SCVO membership can give you a helping hand with all of this. Here's what they have to offer:

• Funding Updates - SCVO fortnightly funding updates are available to SCVO members, to help you find the funding that's right for you.
• Free legal advice - as a member you will be eligible for up to 2 hours free legal advice provided by Harper Macleod, Lindsays, MacRoberts and Burness Paull.
• Exclusive deals - receive discounted rates for products and services affiliated with SCVO.
• Discount on training - get access to competitively-priced professional training, covering everything from risk management and governance to report writing and managing people.
• Free Information service - use the SCVO freephone helpline for specific queries and personalised support.
• Membership of SCVO professional networks - sign up to one or more of SCVO's networks, which currently cater for comms, intermediaries and policy officers.
• Free guidance on charity tax - take advantage of 1 hour free support on improving your VAT position and guidance on Gift Aid, plus free events to guide you through the latest Tax and VAT developments.

Other useful resources from SCVO:

Getting started guide - if you're thinking of starting a new voluntary organisation, community group or charity, this handy online guide talks you through the process of setting up, from firming up your vision and deciding on a structure to writing your constitution and registering your organisation.

Running your organisation - this section of the SCVO website provides lots of practical information and useful links that can help with the day-to-day running of your group.

Training and events - the SCVO training and events programme covers everything from fundraising and managing committees, to data protection and legislation. Regular networking and information sharing events also take place throughout the year, offering you the opportunity to meet with SCVO staff, external speakers and other SCVO members to share learning. Some of the training sessions are free to attend and some have a cost associated, with a discount for SCVO members.

Funding Scotland - a funding search engine developed by SCVO, set up to help you track down funding of all shapes and sizes for your community project.

Third Force news - published by SCVO, TFN is Scotland’s only dedicated daily news outlet for charities and voluntary organisations in Scotland. Sign up for free ebulletins and keep up to date with all the important news facing the third sector, including funding, management, environment, housing, families, health and social care and poverty.

Visit the SCVO website for more information on all of the above and to register as a member.