TFN

12/09/2025

This month’s TFN magazine is out now - you can read it all here: https://tfn.scot/magazine/september-2025/read

The new magazine looks ahead to the and much, much more

If you’ve not noticed by now, you will very soon: even though it’s not till next May, we are now well and truly into an election campaign.

This month’s TFN serves as the starting point for our coverage of next May’s Holyrood poll.

In it, we look at a landmark report from Engender (Scotland) on women’s political representation and the barriers that are faced. Its publication couldn’t be more timely.

We also feature an interview around the SCVO election manifesto, and the group’s asks from Scotland’s political parties.

On manifestos, at TFN we have been collecting voluntary sector and civil society manifestos as they come in and aim to publish them soon – please contact [email protected] if you want to be included.

Elsewhere in a packed mag, we drill into some of the hideous figures around the killing of humanitarian aid workers. The scale of what’s going on is truly horrific.

On a different tack, we take a fascinating look at how helped – literally – to build post-war Yugoslavia.

We also hear an inspiring story from The Action Group of a community project to make a tapestry, and Jeff Zycinski of Partnerships for Wellbeing talks about how a cancer diagnosis led to a career change and a new perspective on the value of community

You will find all of that and much more in this month as well as TFN's usual line up of excellent columnists and features.

21/08/2025

New mag looks at community organising and much, much more - you can read it all here: https://tfn.scot/magazine/august-2025/read

This month’s TFN magazine celebrates the power of community – exploring how ordinary people have organised from the grassroots to achieve change.

We focus on the Glasgow scheme of , but there are examples everywhere, for example, the wonderful work done by Supporting Our Community in Hillhouse in Hamilton.

This is real civil society in profound action – charities and voluntary groups have to be there to help people, but ordinary people themselves have a remarkable, collectivist ability to help themselves.

This is the lifeblood of our sector – we should celebrate it more.

What happens when a keystone organisation in our communities closes or is taken away? We look at that through an anatomy of what happened at Edinburgh's Engine Shed, 10 years from its closure.

We look at that this month – it’s a lengthy and detailed read, but an essential one.

Elsewhere, Nina Barough reflects on the success of the and we look at what lessons can be learnt from failures of data governance at Birthlink.

You will find all of that and much more in this month as well as TFN's usual line up of excellent columnists and features, including Ewan Aitken of Cyrenians and Sara Redmond of Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland

And don’t forget - if you work for a member or supporter organisation, why not set up an account so you can access members only content such as the full archive, TFN app and exclusive content.

17/07/2025

TFN magazine's July edition is out now – read it all here: https://tfn.scot/magazine/july-2025/read

The lastest magazine looks at Scotland Demands Better, a minimum income guarantee, the Scottish Charity Awards winners and much more

The power of our sector is that we are able not just to highlight problems in society – but also that we have the expertise to formulate solutions.

We look at both of these aspects in this month’s TFN.
First, we highlight the Scotland Demand Better campaign, which both TFN and SCVO are getting fully behind. You can read about this important cross sector and civil society push to bring a focus on the basics of how we live in our society to demand better lives – starting with real action on the scourges of low pay and poverty.

On the latter, another cross-sector collaboration has seen important work done on establishing a minimum income guarantee in Scotland – a level below which wages are not allowed to fall, and a means of lifting people out of poverty.

The findings are wide-ranging, but importantly they are not wishes or even demands: they are detailed and costed proposals which are now going to the Scottish Government.

And while we are looking at things cross-sector, a big shout out to all of this year’s Scottish Charity awards winners and nominees. The list of winners is a truly inspiring snapshot of the breadth of what we do.

You will find all of that and much more in this month as well as TFN's usual line up of excellent columnists and features.

13/06/2025

TFN magazine's June edition is out now - read it all here: https://tfn.scot/magazine/june-2025/read

The current mag looks at SLAPPs, the horrors of Gaza, the Promise, the challenges facing small charities and much, much more

Most charities are campaigning organisations in one way or another - We all have a cause and a mission.

For some, the pursuit of this can bring them up against some of the most powerful and intransigent forces on the planet – the forces (and resources) of corporate power and the mega-wealthy.

This month we look at the use of SLAPPs (Strategic Legislation Against Public Participation) and the moves, backed by the third sector, that are afoot to stop the Scottish court system from becoming an arena where the powerful pursue those who would scrutinise them.

In terms of scrutiny, the entire world is watching events in Gaza with horror. In this month’s magazine we feature the testament of a Scottish nurse and charity worker about what she saw as bodies were smashed and lives extinguished under the Israeli bombardment.

It’s tempting to look away from such horror – but that is precisely the moment that our gaze must be trained firmly on what’s happening.

On a more optimistic note, we look at work that is being done to deliver the Promise for our care-experienced children and young people, and find a willingness to make it happen.

To mark , we look at the challenges facing some organisations who make up the very atoms of who we are as a sector.

You will find all of that and much more in this month as well as TFN's usual line up of excellent columnists and features - including a column from Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland chief officer Sara Redmond.

Read it all here: https://tfn.scot/magazine/june-2025/read

24/04/2025

TFN magazine's April edition is out now - read it all here: https://tfn.scot/magazine/april-2025/read

Our new edition looks at after-prison throughcare, the chancellor's spring statement, the fair trade movement and much, much more

This month’s TFN magazine takes a look at an area which is of vast importance – but is often overlooked: how we help those who have been through the criminal justice system rebuild their lives.

This is of vital importance to everyone, and it is a testament to the strength of the voluntary sector that it can combine with statutory services to create schemes like Upside, which we report on this month.

Elsewhere, we round up the sector’s furious reaction to the UK Government’s spring statement. The return of austerity will be a big story this year and TFN will be there to record and analyse it, online and in the magazine.

The term ‘fair trade’ is something we have gotten used to now, and we might even take it for granted or forget what it means. In this month’s magazine, we celebrate Scotland retaining its Fair Trade Nation status and find out just how transformational the movement is.

You will find all of that and more in this month as well as TFN's usual line up of excellent columnists and features.

18/03/2025

TFN's March edition is out now - read it here: https://tfn.scot/magazine/march-2025/read

New magazine looks at aid cuts, the NI hike, an innovative funding scheme and much, much more.

We seem to be heading into a new age of austerity – even as it feels like we never left the last one.

The UK Government is, as this is being written, preparing to launch a programme of cuts aimed at people on disability benefits, surely some of the most vulnerable people in the UK.

TFN has chronicled the impact of cuts and austerity down through the years – these accelerated terrifyingly during the Cameron/Osborne years, but it seems that they are here to stay, even with a Starmerite Labour government.

The old Animal Farm quote rises to the top of the mind: “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

TFN will cover the impact of the cuts to benefits online and in future editions. But it’s different cuts we are focussing on this month – where Labour, yet again, has gone further than even the Tories: the cuts to the international aid budget.

You can read how the NGO sector has reacted and about the impacts they will have here: https://tfn.scot/magazine/march-2025/read

A hike is as good as a cut to the charity sector when it comes to the impending employers’ National Insurance rise, as we have spoken to people working in care about its consequences; again, we will be chronicling this in future editions.

On a more positive note, we look at an innovative form of pooled funding in the capital which could point to way to similar initiatives, see how a community in Glasgow is fighting back as it demands basic services and take a moment to consider our brain health in an era of burnout.

You will find all of that and more in this month as well as TFN's usual line up of excellent columnists and features.

18/02/2025

TFN takes a look at the increasingly fraught world of social media in our February magazine – which you can read in full here: https://tfn.scot/magazine/february-2025/read

There has been an intensifying debate among those working in charity comms but also across the wider sector about the use of certain platforms.

Specifically this means Twitter/X, following the recent (and not so recent) right wing posturing of the platform’s owner, which has accelerated with the return of Donald Trump to the White House.

This was discussed at an excellent session at SCVO’s recent Gathering, and we look further into the issue this month.

It’s getting close to the time of year when budgets are set, and that is always a fraught experience for the sector. This month, we explore the impact cuts will have at a local level and how charities are responding.

TFN has always supported campaigning, so we also look at the fight being put up by the Waspi women, who are crystalising a movement against pensions inequality.

Add to that TFN's usual excellent columnists including Ewan Aitken of Cyrenians, Dr Mhairi Crawford of LGBT Youth Scotland, and more…

You can read it all now - and feel free to share the link for others to read and enjoy! https://tfn.scot/magazine/february-2025/read

And don’t forget - if you work for a member or supporter organisation, why not set up an account so you can access members only content such as the full archive, TFN app and exclusive content.

24/01/2025

TFN turns its attention to the wider world for our first magazine of 2025 – and you can read it all here: https://tfn.scot/magazine/january-2025/read

This month we go international, looking at the challenges civil society faces globally.

We look at the latest Civicus Monitor report to see what it has to say about the state of civic space, and we look at areas of the world which are often under-reported, but where charities and NGOs are meeting the challenges caused by conflict and climate change head-on.

In the same spirit, we take a look back at one of the world’s biggest ever responses – the operation that took place after the devastating Boxing Day tsunami 20 years ago.

Closer to home, the magazine looks at the latest work done by the Revitalising Trusts project, which unlocks dormant cash and puts it to use for public good.

You will find all of that in this month as well as TFN's usual line up of excellent columnists and features including Ewan Aitken of Cyrenians.

You can read it all now - and feel free to share the link for others to read and enjoy! https://tfn.scot/magazine/january-2025/read

And don’t forget - if you work for a member or supporter organisation, why not set up an account so you can access members only content such as the full archive, TFN app and exclusive content.

25/11/2024

New mag looks at the UK budget, Palestinian solidarity, community ownership and much, much more - and you can read it all here https://tfn.scot/magazine/november-2024/read

Things never get any easier for the voluntary sector, do they? Certainly the heady days of the summer seem like eons ago – those hopeful days when even the most cynical might have though there could be some light round the corner following the UK’s general election.

Here we are in the mist, rain and chill of November and things look… pretty much as they were. The budget has been sore – its new austerity measures were well trailed and the sector was bracing for them. But it’s not clear how many saw the employer NI hike – and the lack of exemption for charities – coming.

We’ve got a big fight on our hands about this – prime yourself for it by reading TFN’s in-depth budget coverage.

While this is all very gloomy, it is put into perspective by the terrible and on-going events in Palestine. Inside we look at what Palestinian solidarity looks like for civil society.

On a related note, the carnage in the Middle East has brought to the fore the age-old problem charities have with how they intersect with parts of big business – those companies whose existence is essentially predicated on the continuance of human suffering.

TFN’s Niall Christie has taken a deep dive into Stonewall’s relationship with the arms trade, and the results are sobering, and raise many pertinent and difficult questions.

On a more positive note, we look at an exciting new funding stream opening up for the sector and the difference community ownership can make.

And as it’s nearly that time of the year, don’t forget to peruse TFN’s annual festive gifts guide. With the state of the world as it is, we have to try to make a positive difference in any way we can, even when if comes to Christmas pressies.

Add to that TFN's usual excellent columnists including Ewan Aitken of Cyrenians, Dr Mhairi Crawford of LGBT Youth Scotland, and more…

You can read it all now - and feel free to share the link for others to read and enjoy! https://tfn.scot/magazine/november-2024/read

And don’t forget - if you work for a member or supporter organisation, why not set up an account so you can access members only content such as the full archive, TFN app and exclusive content.

22/10/2024

October’s TFN magazine looks at poverty, homelessness and Black History Month – and you can read it all here: https://tfn.scot/magazine/october-2024/read

Poverty is probably the biggest issue facing society – and is certainly the reason large parts of the third sector exist, as charities seek to combat its effects, help its victims and root out its causes.
To mark the recent Challenge Poverty Week, TFN is taking a look at the issue, and is asking whether the Scottish Government’s much vaunted – in some quarters – policies in this direction are actually working.

And if not, why not?

Of course, the issue of homelessness is inextricably linked to poverty, and TFN recently investigated how homeless people are being treated in Scotland’s capital city – specifically when big events like the Fringe or major pop concerts come to town.
Read our findings inside.

As well marking as being Challenge Poverty Week, this is also Black History Month, so we look at a remarkable film by media co-op, which brings home the reality of everyday racism in a remarkable manner.

Add to that TFN's usual excellent columnists including Ewan Aitken of Cyrenians, Dr Mhairi Crawford of LGBT Youth Scotland, and more…

You can read it all now - and feel free to share the link for others to read and enjoy! https://tfn.scot/magazine/october-2024/read

And don’t forget - if you work for a member or supporter organisation, why not set up an account so you can access members only content such as the full archive, TFN app and exclusive content.

14/09/2024

TFN exclusive: the "downward spiral" of a Scots conservation charity

Insider dossier raises questions over finance, redundancies, governance and more

16/08/2024

TFN magazine's August edition is out now - read it here: https://tfn.scot/magazine/august-2024/read

In a thought-provoking magazine, we look at a diverse range of topics – from defunding the NHS to the use of cryptocurrencies as a donation platform, from Asylum and aid to a detailed analysis of what the recent King’s Speech to Parliament means for the sector.

Charities cite fear of the unknown and excitement in equal measure when it comes to the potential of cryptocurrencies. Yet more and more and turning to crypto as a new way of giving. Once seen as inherently unstable, Robert Armour looks at the pros and cons of using these currencies and the experiences of organisations who continue to do so.

As sporadic violence breaks out in England and Northern Ireland, fuelled by the far right, Niall Christie writes a timely piece on asylum and aid. With the election of a new government, there have been hopes of a more progressive policy on these interlinked issues– but how likely is meaningful change?

Defunding the NHS might not be a hot topic but it is one that is being debated more in the social care sector. Andrew Thomson, deputy chief executive of social care and community development charity Carr Gomm, debates how a whole-system solution is needed if Scotland is to support more people to live their best lives in their own home.

And Seth Farsides, policy and research officer at the Sheila Mckechnie Foundation, analyses key pieces of new legislation which either originated or were shaped by the tireless efforts of campaigners and activists in the recent King’s Speech.

Add to that TFN's usual excellent columnists including Ewan Aitken of Cyrenians, Dr Mhairi Crawford of LGBT Youth Scotland, and more… and you've got a bumper August edition!

You can read it all now - and feel free to share the link for others to read and enjoy! https://tfn.scot/magazine/august-2024/read

And don’t forget - if you work for a member or supporter organisation, why not set up an account so you can access members only content such as the full archive, TFN app and exclusive content.