Scottish charities increased income by £300m in 2013
Howard Lake | 19 February 2014 | News
Scottish charities have increased their turnover by £300 million in the past year to £4.9 billion, according to research by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO). This is double the amount that it was generating 10 years ago.
During the same decade, charities have also nearly doubled the amount they spend, up to £4.7 billion. Part of this increase is undoubtedly due to the increase in demand for services that many charities have reported over the past six years of financial crisis. Indeed, SCVO reports that 42% of charities last year spent more than they earned.
The turnover figures is based on SCVO classifications and a sub-set of 2012/2013 charity income data from OSCR.
According to SCVO there are over 45,000 organisations in the sector employing a total of 138,000 people.
Economic contribution of Scotland’s Third Sector – source: SCVO, February 2014
John Downie, Director of Public Affairs, SCVO commented on the findings, saying:
“The third sector is growing and spending more than ever to help people bearing the brunt of a bleak economy, public funding cuts and growing poverty and inequality.
“We clearly have a strong third sector in Scotland, which is taking on an even more vital role in society and has the confidence to invest in innovative approaches to tackling Scotland’s biggest social challenges.
“Larger charities and foundations are seeing the majority of income growth, while average growth across the sector stands at 0.8% despite a tough economic climate.”
SCVO’s 10th annual Gathering gets underway today.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.