The organisation was established on 1 October 1943 as the
Scottish Council of Social Service (
SCSS). During its first years much of the Council’s work was dictated by wartime need and its immediate aftermath. In 1983 the Council’s name was changed to the
Scottish Council for Community and Voluntary Organisations with the working title of
Voluntary Action for Scotland. In 1986 the name Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations was adopted. In 2003, the SCVO moved its headquarters to the newly restored and repurposed
Mansfield Place Church in Edinburgh. SCVO hosted the 6th, 7th and 8th CIVICUS World Assemblies in 2006, 2007 and 2008. ==Current work==