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Choosing your legal structure

What you need to consider when choosing your legal structure and the main characteristics of different legal structures

  • Setting up

Understanding charity status and registration

Find out what charity status is and if you need to register as a charity

  • Setting up

Understanding social enterprise

Find out about social enterprises and their associated legal structures

  • Setting up

A charity's governing document: What it should include

Find out what information should be included in your charity's governing document

  • Setting up

Running a charity

Guidance and tools to help you run your charity or voluntary organisation

  • Employing and managing staff
  • Setting up
  • Closing down

Employing and managing staff

Practical guidance to help you recruit, manage and develop paid members of staff, including a useful introduction to employment law

  • Employing and managing staff

Employing staff essentials

Familiarise yourself with the essential aspects of employing paid members of staff

  • Employing and managing staff

Introduction to employment law

Understand your core legal responsibilities to your employees

  • Employing and managing staff

Understanding employment law

A short summary of your general legal obligations to paid members of staff

  • Employing and managing staff

Conditions of employment

A quick introduction to employment law on the conditions of employment

  • Employing and managing staff

ACEVO and NCVO joint statement on announcement of Orlando Fraser as preferred candidate for next Charity Commission chair

ACEVO and NCVO today release a joint statement following announcement of Orlando Fraser as preferred candidate for the next chair of the Charity Commission.

  • Government and politics

NCVO announce Sarah Vibert as CEO

  • Inside NCVO

FSI and NCVO partnership becomes new home of small charities coalition helpdesk

Today the Small Charities Coalition (SCC) announced that the FSI (the Foundation for Social Improvement) and NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations) have come together to secure the SCC Helpdesk and other key services.

  • Collaboration

Respond, recover, reset: 18 months of real-time research reveals how the charity sector changed through the pandemic

Two years ago the UK went into its first national lockdown, the final report of the Charity Covid-19 Impact Barometer survey project, led by Nottingham Trent University, with Sheffield Hallam University and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations

  • Coronavirus
  • Responding to crises

NCVO and centre for ageing better partner to increase age-friendly inclusive volunteering in england

NCVO has announced today that it will partner with the Centre for Ageing Better to support its efforts to increase age-friendly inclusive volunteering in England.

  • Collaboration

#VounteersWeek 2022: A time to say thanks

With just two months to go until Volunteers’ Week 2022, taking place 1-7 June, the organisers have shared the news that the theme for this year’s week-long celebration is ‘A time to say thanks’.

  • Involving volunteers

NCVO hosting new initiative examining how understanding power can enable voluntsary organisations to embody integrity

NCVO has announced that it is hosting a new initiative called Power & Integrity (PI) – launching today – which aims to enable more coherent, integrated and impactful approaches to organisational integrity in the voluntary sector.

Funding Central has closed

NCVO’s funding database, Funding Central, is now closed. Browse alternative resources and guidance

  • Funding and income

Transfer of Trusted Charity standard delivery to the Growth Company

NCVO has transferred the delivery of the Trusted Charity standard to our Trusted Supplier the Growth Company

  • Involving volunteers

VCQA update in 2022 and beyond

Following a strategic review, NCVO has taken the difficult decision to stop providing VCQA. We are delighted to announce that we will transfer ownership rights of VCQA to the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) from 1 January.

  • Involving volunteers

Corporation and income tax

Charities are usually exempt from paying corporation or income tax, but there are some situations where you might become liable

  • Financial management

VAT and charities

When do charities need to consider VAT and what are the exemptions?

  • Financial management

Trading and charities

How to trade as a charity, and what the risks are

  • Financial management

How to set up a trading subsidiary

Charities are allowed to trade under certain circumstances, but if you've decided to develop a trading activity which is not allowed, you'll need to establish a trading subsidiary. Here's how.

  • Financial management

Gift Aid

Gift Aid is a scheme which allows charities to claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated

  • Financial management

Gift aid small donations scheme (GASDS)

GASDS is a top up on small cash donations without using Gift Aid

  • Financial management

Making tax digital

Guidance on complying with with HMRC Making Tax Digital reporting requirements

  • Financial management

Banking guidance for charities

Guidance around when a charity or voluntary organisation needs a bank account, and how to choose one and set it up.

  • Financial management

Financial difficulty and insolvency

Find out about some of the areas to consider when managing financial difficulties and insolvency

  • Financial management

Working through financial challenges

Learn about how to work though helping your organisation manage financial uncertainty

  • Financial management

NCVO member welcome and refresher session: May 2025

Being an NCVO member means being part of a community. Whether you've just joined us, or you're renewing your membership and need a refresher, join this session to meet and network with other members online

Designated safeguarding leads in charities (1 day)

This one-day training course provides an overview of the roles and responsibilities of safeguarding leads in charities in England

Successful funding applications (0.5 day)

Learn Practical tips to ensure you are successful in your funding bid applications.

Mentoring and coaching skills (0.5 days)

This course provides an introduction to the key differences between mentoring and coaching. You’ll learn how to use both skills effectively to develop and support staff, volunteers and clients

Theory of change for strategic planning and evaluation (1 day)

Learn how to create your own theory of change and narrative. This course will challenge you to think critically about what you're doing and why

Outcomes and impact measurement (1 day)

Learn how to create an evaluation plan to better understand and demonstrate the difference your work makes

Charity finance skills (1 day)

This course will help people with little or no financial background to feel confident in managing day-to-day charity finance

Charity trustee induction and refresher (2 x 0.5 days)

This course will give trustees an overview and understanding of charity governance, regulation and best practice

NCVO/Zurich webinar: Developing and embedding effective risk assessments for volunteers

Join us for an essential webinar on creating and embedding effective risk assessments to protect your volunteers and those they support

Financial governance for trustees (0.5 day)

This course will revisit the core financial duties of a charity trustee and explore what it means to practice good financial governance