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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

Open letter to the chancellor on the impact of increased employer National Insurance Contributions for charities

We’ve written to the chancellor calling for urgent action on the planned increase to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) for the voluntary sector

  • Employing and managing staff
  • Funding and income

Trustees’ Week 2024: Celebrating trustees’ dedication and impact

This Trustees' Week we celebrated the role of trustees across the UK and explored the challenges and opportunities in trustee recruitment and retention

  • Involving volunteers
  • Governance

Can we Bank on the Banks? New Report Highlights Ongoing Challenges

  • Collaboration
  • Financial management

Why Investing in Volunteering is Money Well Spent

  • Funding and income
  • Involving volunteers

NCVO Strengthens Board with New Appointments

  • Leadership
  • Governance

Overcoming sticking points in strategy development: A conversation with Sini and Sam

  • Business planning and strategy
  • Impact and evaluation
  • Consultancy

Small Charity Week 2025: New match funding campaign to boost small charities

  • Funding and income
  • Campaigning

New members join Small Charities Advisory Panel to strengthen the voice of small charities

  • Campaigning
  • Governance

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh announced as NCVO’s new Royal Patron

  • Inside NCVO

Fundraising challenges

  • Funding and income

Fundraising in a public place

Guidance on fundraising in a public place

  • Funding and income

Gift Aid

Learn about Gift Aid and how it works

  • Funding and income

Giving by text

Learn about donating to a voluntary organisation

  • Funding and income

Legacies

Learn more about legacy gifts

  • Funding and income

Lotteries, prize competitions and free draws

Learn more about lotteries, prize competitions and free draws

  • Funding and income

Major donors

Learn more about major donors

  • Funding and income

Online donation platforms

Learn about online donation platforms

  • Funding and income

Online charity auctions

Learn more about online charity auctions

  • Funding and income

Payroll giving

Learn more about payroll giving in the voluntary sector

  • Funding and income

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

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

Tools and methods for measuring outcomes (1 day)

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

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

Recruiting volunteers (0.5 day)

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

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

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