A survey of Scottish charities by accountants Scott-Moncrieff finds surprisingly high levels of financial confidence in the sector.

More than nine in 10 Scottish charities are confident about their long-term financial health, according to new research.

Accountancy firm Scott-Moncrieff, which specialises in working with charities in Scotland, found that around a third of charities are very confident about their futures, and 59% are quite confident.

Only 6% of organisations that responded to the research said they were not very confident about their long-term future.

Gillian Donald, charities partner at Scott-Moncrieff, commented: “This was a surprising result. We didn’t expect confidence to be quite as high, but we’re pleased to hear that the sector is feeling buoyant.

“Much of this could come from the fact that charities, especially those that are dependent on government services and funding, have really struggled over the past few years, but have managed to turn the resilience they’ve needed during that time to confidence for the future. If they’ve made it this far, then they’re feeling positive about keeping going.”

Cuts to funding and stretched management resources were still highlighted as the biggest challenges facing Scottish charities. Other issues included lack of time for creative thinking, capacity for change management, retendering and risk management.

The survey was undertaken across three Charity Insights seminars held by Scott-Moncrieff in March, which were attended by over 100 of Scotland’s leading charitable organisations.