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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

Autumn Statement 2023: Impact on charities

Policy and insight manager Sam Mercadante considers the implications of the Autumn Statement for charities

Government policy and funding round-up: November 2023

Latest updates on our influencing work, government policy and funding announcements

  • Financial management
  • Government and politics
  • Funding and income

Time Well Spent 2023: Volunteering among the global majority

Research exploring the volunteering experiences and perspectives of people from the global majority

  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Involving volunteers

Impact round-up: December 2023

The latest resources, events and training to help your organisation with its impact and evaluation

  • Impact and evaluation

Volunteering round-up: December 2023

The latest volunteering news, resources and dates for your diary

  • Involving volunteers

Governance round-up: December 2023

New inclusion and campaigning resources, a chance to help shape investment principles, and dates for your diary

  • Governance

Our tribute to Michelle

It is with much love and respect that we pay tribute to our colleague and friend, Michelle Curtis, who passed away unexpectedly in November.

Why your voice is important in 2024, and how NCVO can help

How charities can harness the power of our collective voice in 2024

Practical support bulletin: January 2024

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

  • Cost of living
  • Digital and technology
  • Involving volunteers

Government policy and funding round-up: January 2024

Latest updates on our influencing work, government policy and funding announcements

  • Funding and income
  • Government and politics

The stages of consortium development

Step-by-step guidance to help voluntary organisations develop a consortium

  • Collaboration

Pre-start-up scoping and planning

Guidance on scoping and planning before you set up a voluntary-sector consortium

  • Collaboration

Formation of working group

How to form the initial working group that will help partners set up a consortium

  • Collaboration

Development funding

An outline of how much funding is required to establish a voluntary sector consortium, and some of the potential funding sources

  • Collaboration

Stakeholder engagement

Why you need to engage stakeholders such as commissioners and local organisations in your consortium development, and how to involve them

  • Collaboration

Operational development and consortium documents

An overview of the key policies and procedures that will support the operational running of a consortium

  • Collaboration

Incorporation and establishment of interim board

A guide to becoming an incorporated company

  • Collaboration

Membership recruitment and due diligence

How to formally launch your consortium and invite organisations to join

  • Collaboration

Set up central management hub

How to set up the central hub that will run the consortium business, scope for contracts, network with commissioners and bring in contracts

  • Collaboration

Bid for and win contracts

How consortium members can work together to bid for, and hopefully win, contracts

  • Collaboration

Charity finance strategy (1 day)

This course will give you an overview of how to build a simple finance strategy. We’ll introduce tools to help you build the financial resilience of your charity

Advanced data protection (2 x 0.5 days)

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

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

NCVO member welcome and refresher session

Join this session to explore your NCVO member benefits and learn more about our supportive community.

Project management in the voluntary sector (2 days)

This practical course is specifically tailored to the voluntary sector. It’s designed to give you all the principles and practical tools you need to plan, deliver and evaluate your project successfully

Data protection essentials (2 x 0.5 days)

This course will take you through the essentials of lawful data processing for charities and help improve your compliance with the law

Developing a Fundraising Strategy (0.5 day)

Learn how to develop your first fundraising strategy. This course is aimed at small to medium-sized charities looking to grow their fundraising offer.

Successful funding applications (0.5 day)

Learn Practical tips to ensure you are successful in your funding bid applications.

Webinar: charity trading essentials

Explore charity trading and when to consider a trading subsidiary.

Tools and methods for measuring outcomes (1 day)

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