What is Voluntary ActionVoluntary Action covers all sorts of groups and activities. The organisations which are involved in Voluntary Action are called by lots of different titles such as Charities, Third Sector, Voluntary Sector, Community Sector and Social Economy. The things voluntary organisations have in common are that they do not distribute profit and they are not set up by government law. They can be companies, associations, cooperatives and other things. They are all run by groups, committees or boards of unpaid volunteers who often come from the local community. There are large numbers of voluntary organisations throughout Scotland. They have an income of about £2.2 billion, employ 100,000 people and involve 700,000 volunteers. There are over 44,000 voluntary organisations in Scotland with around 3,000 in Scottish Borders. These voluntary organisations are often closely linked to the community they serve. This can be a geographical community such as a village. It can also be a community of people who share the same interest such as older people. Many of the larger organisations employ people to carry out their work. They are still voluntary organisations even if they have paid staff because the voluntary committee employs the staff. Many smaller voluntary organisations rely on volunteers who give their time and effort for free. Because there are so many organisations and they cover so many different types of Voluntary Action it can be helpful to sort them into categories Some of the voluntary organisations you may have come across include: These organisations are very important to the Scottish Borders. The work they do greatly improves the quality of life for many people. Voluntary Action grows all the time as local people form groups to deal with local issues. This helps build strong Scottish Borders communities.
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