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Help and guidance

Our help and guidance content includes step-by-step guides, downloadable templates and interactive tools to help you run your voluntary organisation

Setting up

Learn about the practical steps you need to take to set up your own organisation

  • Setting up

Deciding to set up a new charitable organisation

Access our guidance to help you decide if you should set up a new charity, voluntary organisation or community group

  • Setting up

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

The Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP reflects on Volunteers' Week 2023

As Volunteers' Week 2023 draws to a close, the Minister for Civil Society looks back on the week and shares his thoughts

  • Involving volunteers

Governance round-up: June 2023

Reflections on the recent Charity Commission board appointments along with updates and upcoming events

  • Governance

Volunteering round-up: June 2023

Volunteering consultant Helen Tourle shares the latest volunteering news, updates, events and training

  • Involving volunteers

Time Well Spent 2023

We share findings from our latest national survey on the volunteer experience

  • Involving volunteers

The inside track: June 2023

Our latest update on what’s happening in Westminster and how it might impact charities

  • Government and politics

Election manifesto: Sheffield charities have their say

Charity representatives tell us their priorities ahead of next year’s general election

  • Government and politics

Fuelling positive change: NCVO launches campaign to encourage charities to consider divestment

NCVO launches campaign to encourage charities to consider divestment

  • Campaigning

Volunteering round-up: July 2023

Volunteering consultant Helen Tourle shares volunteering news and dates for your diary

  • Involving volunteers

Practical support bulletin: July 2023

Resources, free events, support and information on the big issues affecting small charities

  • Financial management
  • Funding and income
  • Responding to crises

Government policy and funding round up: July 2023

An update on our influencing work, government policy and funding announcements

  • Funding and income
  • Government and politics

Partnerships

Guidance to help you decide whether working in partnership is right for your organisation

  • Collaboration

Campaigning in collaboration

Guidance to help voluntary organisations collaborate on campaigns

  • Collaboration

Structures for consortia delivery of public service delivery

Explore three models of consortia delivery of public services by voluntary and community organisations

  • Collaboration

Working together to achieve your mission

This page looks at how organisations collaborate on the projects that directly contribute to their overall mission

  • Collaboration

Sharing back office services

Advice on how organisations can use collaborative working to share premises and back office services

  • Collaboration

Staffing a collaborative project

Things to consider when staffing a collaborative project

  • Collaboration

National organisations with local groups

How organisations with a national body and local groups can work together

  • Collaboration

Collaborative working to generate income

Guidance on fundraising through the gift economy (public giving, voluntary donations) and the open market (trading)

  • Collaboration

Why be part of a consortium?

Reasons for forming a consortium and examples of voluntary sector consortia

  • Collaboration

Consortium operating models

The different ways that voluntary organisations can work together collectively to bid for and deliver public service contracts

  • Collaboration

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

Strategic leadership (1 day)

This practical one-day course for aspiring and existing charity leaders will elevate your strategic leadership skills, so you can create lasting impact for your organisations and the communities you serve.

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

Safeguarding essentials in charities (1 day)

All voluntary organisations have a duty to keep the people they work with safe from harm. This course introduces the basics of safeguarding within a charity context in England and highlights effective safeguarding practice

Tools and methods for measuring outcomes (1 day)

Get an introduction to data collection methods and practical guidance for evaluating your work

Better impact reporting (0.5 day)

This practical session will build your awareness of different types of reporting and support you to tell a compelling story through your reporting

Recruiting volunteers (0.5 day)

This course will develop your skills and help you use a marketing approach to recruit volunteers

Advanced project management (1 day)

Are you confident in your general project management skills but looking to strengthen your expertise? This course moves beyond the basics of project management to better understand techniques, activities and principles within a charity context.

Leading change and transformation (2 days)

This practical two-day course for aspiring and existing charity leaders will teach you how to adapt to an ever-changing environment. Learn how to successfully deliver meaningful change to improve your team or organisation