FAQ

The single most important determinant of the success of an organisation is the quality of its leadership. Voluntary sector leaders recognise the importance of good leadership. They also recognise the complexity of the environment in which they work. However, the challenges of time and cost can act as a barrier to participation in learning and sharing experiences and ideas with other leaders. ACOSVO will lead in identifying needs and bringing together a range of learning opportunities, resources and services for our members and other leaders in the sector.

By joining ACOSVO you will be part of our 500+ member network of peers who are already benefitting from our services.

Third sector leaders’ contribution toward sustaining a strong, enterprising civil society is critical. It is important that their views are heard and taken into account in areas of policy and practice affecting the sector. We are supporting leaders in the third sector to make an influential contribution to strategy and policy which impacts on their organisations and beneficiaries.

ACOSVO exists to support, inspire and strengthen leaders through providing a wide range of personal and professional development opportunities, topical events and relevant services.

Click here to view all the benefits you can enjoy as a member of ACOSVO.

Full Membership for Chief Officers (irrespective of job title) of Scottish Voluntary Organisations or Heads of Scottish branches of UK or International Voluntary Organisations.

Associate Membership for senior staff and out of post or retired leaders of Scottish Voluntary Organisations.

When you join as a member, you become part of a supportive community of leaders. You will gain access to all our events at member rates, receive our quarterly e-news, be able to join our exclusive, members-only Linkedin group and access a range of other benefits.

Income from membership subscriptions and event fees are combined with support from supports, stakeholders and strategic partners to subsidise all our events and activities. Whilst some events and Member Benefits are FREE, the rest are subsidised with prices reflecting our costs – to pay for such things as venue, facilitator and booking fee, as well covering provision of refreshments/food and basic administration costs. We pride ourselves on being very competitively priced. Our Annual Membership Survey confirmed ACOSVO event charges are highly competitive when compared with those of other umbrella organisations with 98% saying we offer “value for money”.

Your membership will be ratified by the Board at the next meeting, however you are welcome to begin taking advantage of the member event discounts and member benefits as soon as we acknowledge receipt of your application.

Although membership cannot be ratified until the next board meeting, you can start to book/attend ACOSVO events at member rates as soon as we have checked you meet our membership criteria.

As a membership organisation, we encourage our members to embrace our member values

No, membership is individual and not organisational, so it would not make you or your company a member.

Yes, please do bring your peers to our events or even encourage them to join! Our member-get-member offer will give you £10 off your membership renewal or next event fee if you recommend a colleague. Senior members of your staff can also join or attend events and would be eligible for Associate ACOSVO membership. Additionally, some ACOSVO events will also be useful for members of your Board to attend and we hope that working with your Trustees at these workshops will build a strong governance relationship.

You can make use of the closed members group or why not sign up for one of our events where you will have the opportunity to make connections with other ACOSVO members. A FREE ‘New Member Lunch’ is held each Autumn and is an opportunity for you to network with fellow new members and meet the ACOSVO Team. We would like to hear from you about the kind of support you would like from your membership. In return we will tell you more about ACOSVO and the benefits your membership offers. Our Regional Network lunches are also a great way to meet other leaders in your local area.

As an ACOSVO member you will be invited to join the ACOSVO Members’ Linkedin Group - an exclusive forum for members to post and join discussions on a whole topics ranging from issues such as Goverance through to furniture swapping second-hand board room tables. The Twitter handles @ACOSVO and @patacosvo can also be used in discussions.

Yes, if you notify us you are about to leave your organisation and the membership still has time to run, you will have the options of taking the membership with you to your new position or transferring to the new Chief Officer.