What does Scottish charity law say about campaigning on political issues?

Under Scottish charity law, your charity can campaign if:

• it is advancing your charitable purposes
• your governing document does not prevent the activity
• you are not advancing a political party, and
• you can show you are acting in the charity’s interests

Scottish charity law says that an organisation set up to be a political party or to advance a political party cannot be a charity.

Our position is that charities can campaign on political issues to advance their charitable purposes, including during election periods, as long as the requirements of charity law and, where necessary, electoral law are met.

Political campaigning – for example taking a position for or against a change in policy or legislation – is a legitimate way for some charities to achieve what they were set up for, their charitable purposes.