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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

Volunteering in England in 2032

  • Involving volunteers

Mobilising the public response to war in Ukraine through partnership and collaboration

  • Responding to crises
  • Collaboration
  • Involving volunteers

12 things I've learnt about culture change over the last 12 months

  • Governance
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Inside NCVO

Volunteering round-up: March 2022

  • Involving volunteers

Governance round-up: March 2022

  • Governance
  • Law and regulation

Respond, recover, reset: What the voluntary sector can learn from the past two years

  • Funding and income
  • Impact and evaluation
  • Responding to crises

Sarah Vibert: My vision for NCVO and our membership community

  • Inside NCVO
  • Collaboration
  • Involving volunteers

The inside track: March 2022

  • Law and regulation
  • Government and politics

How charities and civil society can support Ukraine

  • Responding to crises

Volunteering round-up: February 2022

  • Involving volunteers

Overview

The definition of the Terrorism Act and what the Charity Commission expects of charities and volunteer organisations

  • Safeguarding

Key duties

The key duties of charities and volunteer organisations to safeguard against involvement in terrorism

  • Safeguarding

Key offences

Terrorist offences that may affect charities and voluntary organisations

  • Safeguarding

Safeguarding people at risk of domestic abuse

Helping people at risk of domestic abuse to receive appropriate protection

  • Safeguarding

Overview

How the law encourages public bodies to ensure that individuals affected by domestic abuse are supported and perpetrators are held accountable

  • Safeguarding

Legal definition of domestic abuse

How the law defines domestic abuse

  • Safeguarding

Key duties

Duties of public bodies to act to protect individuals at risk of domestic abuse

  • Safeguarding

Safeguarding when working with partners

When charities and voluntary organisations partner with other organisations, safeguarding responsibilities and accountability falls into three categories

  • Safeguarding

Overview

The appropriate level of due diligence charities should carry out when working with partners

  • Safeguarding

Key duties for charities and voluntary organisations

The steps trustees must take when a charity works with partners, to ensure resources are managed responsibly

  • Safeguarding

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

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

Advanced data protection (2 x 0.5 days)

This advanced course is specifically for data protection leads or officers in charitable organisations.

Managing people in the charity sector (2 days)

This course will equip managers in the voluntary sector with the skills and techniques they need to effectively manage paid members of staff