Our help and guidance content includes step-by-step guides, downloadable templates and interactive tools to help you run your voluntary organisation
Learn about the practical steps you need to take to set up your own organisation
Access our guidance to help you decide if you should set up a new charity, voluntary organisation or community group
What you need to consider when choosing your legal structure and the main characteristics of different legal structures
Find out what charity status is and if you need to register as a charity
Find out about social enterprises and their associated legal structures
Find out what information should be included in your charity's governing document
Guidance and tools to help you run your charity or voluntary organisation
Practical guidance to help you recruit, manage and develop paid members of staff, including a useful introduction to employment law
Familiarise yourself with the essential aspects of employing paid members of staff
At a time of crisis, charities want and need to be able to give their all to supporting people who need it most. They cannot do that if they have to suspend their work or close altogether.
Volunteering rates have remained stable over the last few years. In 2018/19, 22% of people regularly volunteered with a group, club or organisation. While the pandemic is unlikely to influence the overall numbers of people volunteering in the UK, we will
Things to consider when paid staff want to volunteer for the organisation that employs them
Guidance on holding and protecting data on volunteers
Guidance on when a volunteer can demonstrate that they're working under a contract, and what that means
Examples of tribunal decisions where a volunteer be seen as an employee
What happens if a volunteer is found to be eligible for the minimum wage
How to make the most of volunteers while ensuring they don’t become workers or employees
Learn more about volunteering while receiving state benefits
Learn about the tax and national insurance implications for volunteers
Guidance on the health and safety measures you need to put in place when working with volunteers
Guidance on arranging insurance for volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations