We have officially passed the midway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. This shift toward longer days and returning light always brings me a sense of renewed energy and hope. In that spirit of growth, I want to provide an update on Edinburgh’s Third Sector Reference Group (TSRG) and an opportunity to help shape the sector’s voice.

Representing the Sector

You may already be familiar with the work of the TSRG. Established in late 2024, the Group ensures that when we sit at the table in civic forums, we aren’t just representing our own organisations we are representing the collective experiences, needs, and vision of our entire sector. It’s a dynamic, two-way process that make sure that the sector’s voice is heard where it matters most. It has been incredibly valuable to me during my first year in post.

Join the Next Phase

The TSRG is evolving, and the Group is looking for passionate people from across the third sector to join us for this next chapter. We have recently updated the Terms of Reference, and are now seeking new members to help drive the TSRG’s mission forward.  We need people willing to contribute their expertise and energy as the Group works together to shape decisions, amplify community voices and create positive change. You can find out more about this role and the commitment here.

If you have any questions or would like to “throw your hat in the ring”, please get in touch: [email protected] 

Bruce Crawford, CEO

Updated Terms of Reference I History of the TSRG

While many of us are just settling into the rhythm of 2026, navigating the cold start to the year and a shifting global landscape, I want to begin by expressing my gratitude to the staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout the festive period. Your dedication to supporting those in our city facing loneliness or hardship is the backbone of Edinburgh’s community spirit.

An Invitation to Our 156th AGM

We would be delighted to have you join us for EVOC’s 156th AGM:

Thu 29 Jan, 4:30pm to 6pm @ Meadowbank Sports Centre

During the session, we will present the audited accounts for the financial year ending 31 March 2025. As many of you know, this was a particularly challenging period for EVOC, and we look forward to sharing our progress and reflections with you.

Funding and Policy Updates

There is positive news regarding the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund. Following the First Minister’s announcement of an additional £3 million for the fund, Edinburgh will receive a further £247,852. This additional investment will allow more local organisations to deliver vital projects and improve mental health outcomes across our communities in the year 2026/27.

Regarding the Scottish Government’s recent budget announcement, we welcome the prioritisation of the NHS and the commitment to tackling child poverty, key pillars in addressing the health inequalities we see every day. While the full implications for the third sector will take time to emerge, our focus now shifts to the City of Edinburgh Council budget process. We have been working to influence these decisions and will continue to champion the interests of the sector in our public sector partnerships.

Our Commitment to You

For EVOC, 2025 was a year of rebuilding and consolidation. As we move into 2026, our commitment to supporting you remains our top priority. We recognise the need for greater clarity regarding our advocacy work and the specific support we offer our members. So, in the coming weeks, you can expect to see a refreshed approach to our communications. We want to ensure you are fully informed of how we are working on your behalf, and we always welcome your feedback, questions, and ideas on how we can serve you better.

Thank you for everything you do for the people of Edinburgh – we look forward to working with and for you in 2026.

Bruce Crawford, CEO

As we approach midwinter, we know that the demands and pressure on you, our third sector members, partners and colleagues will continue to increase. So, I would like to remind you all that EVOC is here to provide support to groups and organisations across the city, as well as offering additional benefits to our members.

I would also like to share a few updates about what we have been doing recently.

Over the summer months, EVOC recruited five new board members – Caroline Rodgers, Craig Shepherd, Diego Quiroz, Isabel Garden and Roderick Wylie. These new directors bring a breadth of experience from backgrounds in both the third sector and business. More information about all of our current board members can be found here. 

Work on the Edinburgh Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund has been progressing, and we were delighted to bring nearly 80 third sector colleagues together for a collaboration event in October – time to consider the initial expressions of interest against the needs in each locality, as well as build connections and partnerships. The deadline for applications for new projects is this Friday (5 December), and you can find the full timeline here.

At the start of November, we welcomed Valerie McIntosh to the team. Her development worker role has a particular focus on community planning, and she will be working closely with partners on neighbourhood prevention partnerships and other place-based work across the city.

John Hawryluk, one of our service delivery leads, also started a 12-month secondment with Community Renewal in November. He will continue to lead EVOC’s work on equalities, New Scots and the Ukraine response for 2 days a week, while spending 3 days supporting the development of Community Renewal’s consultancy and training subsidiary.

EVOC has now taken on the lease for office premises at Meadowbank, opposite the sports stadium. We moved in during November and have already welcomed visitors for some of our meetings and events. It is a small office with a meeting/training room in a modern building with student flats above. It is conveniently located on London Road with good bus services (4, 5, 15, 26, 44 and 45) on the doorstep.

The newly formed Chief Officers Group is holding its second meeting on Thursday, 11 December, in our new office. It is free for EVOC members and open to chief officers of third sector organisations across Edinburgh, bringing together a talented and committed bunch of leaders from the sector. The December meeting will have a focus on governance and accountability, and will be followed by some festive refreshments and networking.

EVOC’s financial position has stabilised over the last year, and the auditors are currently finalising the accounts for 2024/25. We will publish them on our website and share them with members, partners and colleagues at our AGM in the new year.

 

 

by Bruce Crawford (CEO)

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Edinburgh’s Third Sector organisations are facing considerable challenges at the present time, and they need a strong EVOC that can provide leadership, guidance and support.

To help us do that, we need people to join our Board who share our values and want to make a difference.

We need innovative and experienced people who have ambition for the Third Sector in Edinburgh.

And we need people who understand the fiscal and political landscapes in Edinburgh and Scotland.

We are keen to hear from people with professional expertise in a number of different areas to build on the skills, knowledge and experience of our current Board of Directors. This includes experience of commerce and income generation, financial management, HR, law, marketing and communications (B2B) and risk management.

If that sounds like you and you would be interested in learning more about EVOC or what is involved in being a Director on our Board, please get in touch and we will arrange a call with one of our Directors: [email protected]

You can find out more about the Director and Convenor roles and responsibilities here.

It is the 21 February and the days are getting longer but more importantly, the future is looking brighter.

EIJB Fund Cuts

On Thursday (yesterday) the City of Edinburgh Council held a full Council meeting. I was in attendance to make a deputation on behalf of the voluntary organisations impacted by the cuts by the EIJB grants programme for social care. This followed months of work by colleagues from across the sector who have worked tirelessly for the affected organisations. The work was largely done by members of the Third Sector Reference Group that came into existence after the EIJB meeting on 1 November which led to a three month extension to June 2025.

[Read more…]

I have now been in post as CEO with EVOC for 25 days, though it sometimes feels like a lot longer! 

I have had a whirlwind of an introduction, and my feet have hardly touched the ground, which has made it exciting. 

I have met a lot of great people from across the sector and our partner organisations, including the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government. I have been made to feel welcome and have learned a lot from a diverse mix of individuals. I have heard of the challenges different organisations are facing right now, and these conversations are shaping my understanding and giving me insights that I will be distilling, with colleagues, into our future planning. 

We are currently seeking the views of members and voluntary organisations in Edinburgh to tell us about their needs and the challenges that they are facing in 2025 and beyond. To increase the number of people who can contribute, we are using a survey that will be circulated to our members. Please take a few minutes to complete it to ensure we consider the needs of more organisations in shaping how we work in future and what our priorities will be.

This month we are preparing for our Annual General Meeting at 4pm on Wednesday 26 February which will be held on Zoom. We will report on the year 2023/24 and give a flavour of our plans for the future. We are looking for new individuals with business skills to be elected to the board of EVOC to join a committed group of volunteers who are interested in the development of EVOC as representatives to serve third sector organisations in Edinburgh. You can find how to apply to join the Board of Directors here.

Separately we are seeking a new Convener to chair the board and provide leadership to the organisation and directors. We’re looking for somebody with integrity good governance, leadership, finance and change management experience. If you are interested in this role, please see the details here.

We are spending a great deal of time currently in seeking ways to support those organisations affected by the impending cuts to the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) grants scheme which is a partnership between the NHS and the City of Edinburgh Council.  In recent months we have increased our engagement across the sector, so that we are better able to represent the views and interests of voluntary organisations in strategic forums such as the EIJB and the Edinburgh Partnership. We are doing this as we strengthen our culture of service, to our members and to the sector. 

With best wishes  

Bruce Crawford, CEO 

I am writing this at the end of my first week in the job as chief executive for EVOC. My induction has been non-stop, meeting my new colleagues and some of the people with whom we do business, our partners, funders and members. I have received a warm welcome and look forward to meeting more people from voluntary organisations across Edinburgh in the coming weeks.

EVOC is in a good place. We have an enthusiastic and talented group of employees who are motivated and keen to serve the needs of our members and voluntary sector organisations in Edinburgh. The board of directors have stepped up to handle challenges over the last eight months, taken some tough decisions and reset the compass to enable the organisation to rebuild and thrive again.

In March 2024, EVOC experienced a cash flow crisis, that was a result of procedures not being followed. The board stepped in to resolve the issues and led a process of change, centred around a recovery plan to reduce costs, review activities and restore sustainability. We have appreciated the support from our TSI partners and stakeholders.

The board contacted OSCR (the charity regulator) and they carried out an enquiry which concluded that the EVOC trustees were consistent with the general duties provided for by the 2005 Act and no matters of a regulatory nature that warrant any further action were identified.  The audited annual accounts have been approved by the board and submitted to OSCR and Companies House – you can find a copy here.

The board has approved a positive cash flow to March 2026, our financial controls and procedures have been improved. A redundancy programme has reduced the head count, so the organisation is now operating within its means.

Part of the change has been a restructure of staffing, with my appointment as CEO being one of the last steps in the process to create a new leadership team. We are being agile in our operations and working in teams but also in matrix, so will use our talents across projects and workstreams. Our focus will be to continue to deliver services by working towards achieving outcomes that have impact for our members and the third sector.

Looking ahead, we have started the process of creating a new strategy that will guide our work in 2025 and beyond. We will seek input from our members and stakeholders as the strategy evolves, so I encourage you to get involved in the new year.

We will provide greater transparency, particularly in terms of our governance and will communicate openly with our members and the communities we serve.

Thank you for reading this and if you would like to contact me about any of the issues that I have raised, please contact me by email [email protected] or call me on 07761 039 392.

Bruce Crawford, CEO