Martyn Evans: Charities must engage with independence debate

This week, Glasgow University students will stage a mock referendum on Scottish independence.

It’s an innovative approach and although the number of people taking part is just a drop in the ocean compared with what we can expect during the real vote next year, without doubt it has got people talking.

Actively engaging in what an independent Scotland might mean for our future is the responsibility of us all. It doesn’t fall solely to individual members of the public; businesses and charities will potentially be faced with large changes in how they operate and, as such, they need to get involved. But civil society seems unsure of how to respond to what is clearly an intensely political debate.

At the end of last year, the Carnegie UK Trust published the report, A charitable concern? How charities in Scotland are preparing for the potential for further constitutional change, which explored the current state of awareness, understanding of and responses to the implications of possible further constitutional change among charities in Scotland.

Unsurprisingly, the results revealed that over half of Scottish charities with UK links surveyed agreed that they would be affected by constitutional change. More surprisingly, we also found that many Scotland-only charities also felt that they would be directly affected should there be a Yes vote for independence in 2014. But many admitted to not knowing exactly what independence would mean for them. It was also found that just 12 per cent had begun to make preparations in advance of the referendum, for example scenario planning.

With the SNP now saying Independence Day would be as early as March 2016, this is potentially only three years away and comfortably within the planning timetable of most organisations. In a recent survey by nfp Synergy, for example, it was found that half of the English and Welsh public would be less likely to give to charities that operated only in an independent Scotland.

With this in mind, both the Yes and Better Together campaigns need to work hard to help charities understand what the referendum vote will mean for them. It is essential that charities engage with the referendum debate and what this means for the sector.

• Martyn Evans is chief executive of Carnegie UK Trust