Third Force News annual readers survey
If you are a reader of Third Force News, SCVO’s weekly newspaper please click here to take a short survey to let us know your thoughts and opinions about the paper. Feel free to forward this link to your colleagues so that they can let us know what they think too, and if your organisation has an e-bulletin, it would be great if you could include the link as we would like to hear from as many people as possible from all different backgrounds. Many thanks in advance for your help as the results of the survey will help inform future development of the paper.

Consultation on Unincorporated Associations
The Scottish Law Commission has announced the publication of a discussion paper on unincorporated associations. The paper identifies several legal issues which may affect the many thousands of voluntary organisations and charities that do not have separate legal identity (e.g. are not incorporated under the Companies Act, etc.). Comments on the paper are requested by 6 March 2009. SCVO has organised a series of focus groups in conjunction with the Law Commission and CVS's to discuss the proposals. The three events will be held as follows: Monday 19 January from 2-5 pm in Raeburn Room - Edinburgh SCVO. Friday 30 January from 1-4 pm in Centrum Room - Glasgow SCVO. Tuesday 3 February from 2-5 pm at Fairways House - Inverness SCVO.

Please contact Jeanette Syme if you are interested inattending. We hope to hear from organisations who are currently unincorporated (charities or other) and who are keen to discuss the challenges they face due to this status. More detail about the events will follow in the New Year. For more information please email Nancy Fancott or Jim Lugton of the SCVO policy team.

Big Lottery Fund Consultation
The BIG Lottery fund has launched UK and Scottish consultations on its priorities from 2009. SCVO estimates new lottery funds will fall by 70% in Scotland next year as a result of the diversion of funds for the London Olympics. SCVO is calling for 100% of lottery funding to go to the voluntary sector, and for UK Government to compensate Scottish charities for the loss of the diverted lottery funds – details here . More details on the consultation are available here.