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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

National service and volunteering: A guide to the Conservative party’s policy announcement

  • Government and politics

Introducing NCVO’s new president and ambassador

Learn more about our new president, Baroness Delyth Morgan, and ambassador, Lord Simon Woolley

  • Inside NCVO

The Voluntary Sector Manifesto: Raising our voice

  • Government and politics

What the general election manifestos mean for the voluntary sector

  • Government and politics

Civil society hustings highlights

A round-up of the key talking points from the only national hustings dedicated to the voluntary sector

  • Government and politics
  • Campaigning

General election 2024: What charities can expect from a Labour government

Our analysis of the election result and what it means for the voluntary sector

  • Government and politics

An open letter to Keir Starmer

Our chief executive, Sarah Elliott, shares our vision for the sector on behalf of our members

  • Government and politics

Labour’s priorities ‒ our guide for the charity sector

Our analysis of Labour's first few days in government and what their announcements could mean for the charity sector

  • Government and politics

AI and small charities: Be part of our collective learning journey

NCVO and Microsoft UK share findings from our recent artificial intelligence (AI) event – along with opportunities for ongoing learning

  • Collaboration
  • Digital and technology

King's speech 2024: What do charities need to know?

The King's speech sets out the new Labour government's priorities for the months ahead, following the party's general election victory.

  • Government and politics

Segregation of duties

A basic building block of internal control

  • Governance

Exercising budgetary control and monitoring

Putting together a properly costed plan, and then using it to monitor progress

  • Governance

Controls on income

The Charity Commission expects organisations to know that their money is coming from somewhere reputable. This guidance explains what you can take.

  • Governance

Controls on expenditure

Guidance for using NCVO's control on expenditure manual templates

  • Governance

Investment and borrowing

Guidance for using NCVO's financial procedures manual templates - investment and borrowing section

  • Governance

Controls on financial assets and record keeping

Guidance for using NCVO's financial procedures manual templates - controls on financial assets

  • Governance

Controls on human resource costs

Guidance for using NCVO's financial procedures manual templates - human resources

  • Governance

Controls on physical assets

Guidance for using NCVO's financial procedures manual templates - controls on physical assets

  • Governance

Templates

Downloadable financial procedures manual templates for charities and voluntary organisations.

Trustees' Week webinar series

New to trusteeship or looking to hone your skills? Sign in to access our Trustees' Week webinar series

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