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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 volunteering forum: Vision for Volunteering

  • Involving volunteers
  • Collaboration

Charities have a vital role in supporting those arriving from Ukraine

  • Responding to crises
  • Government and politics

The inside track: May 2022

  • Government and politics
  • Law and regulation

Join our powerful journey: Power & integrity launch

  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Safeguarding
  • Governance

Impact round-up: May 2022

  • Impact and evaluation

Queen's speech: What it means for the voluntary sector

  • Government and politics

Why age friendly inclusive volunteering?

  • Involving volunteers

Volunteering round-up: April 2022

  • Involving volunteers

Governance round-up: April 2022

  • Governance
  • Law and regulation

Government policy and funding round-up: April 2022

  • Funding and income
  • Government and politics
  • Governance

Understanding the law on safeguarding

Find out about the key legal sources that we refer to in this guide

  • Safeguarding

Charities’ general duties of care

Find out where charities' duties of care can arise from and who they might affect

  • Safeguarding

A charity’s duty to have liability insurance

The key duties for charities and volunteer organisations regarding insurance

  • Safeguarding

A charity’s duty to report safeguarding issues

Find out about the Charity Commission's expectations for reporting incidents

  • Safeguarding

A charity’s duty to not discriminate or harass

The Charity Commission's recommended steps that your organisation can take

  • Safeguarding

Trustees’ safeguarding duties

Find out about the specific role that trustees can play in safeguarding

  • Safeguarding

Safeguarding children

Find out about the key Acts and treaties designed to protect children

  • Safeguarding

Overview

Key areas of law to be aware of if you or your organisation is responsible for safeguarding children or young people

  • Safeguarding

General duties to safeguard children

Duties of various bodies to protect children and young people

  • Safeguarding

Key duties of public bodies

Key duties of public bodies for safeguarding children or young people

  • Safeguarding

Outcomes and impact measurement (1 day)

Learn how to create an evaluation plan to better understand and demonstrate the difference your work makes

Mentoring and coaching skills (0.5 days)

This course provides an introduction to the key differences between mentoring and coaching. You’ll learn how to use both skills effectively to develop and support staff, volunteers and clients

Theory of change for strategic planning and evaluation (1 day)

Learn how to create your own theory of change and narrative. This course will challenge you to think critically about what you're doing and why

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

Authentic leadership (1 day)

This practical one-day course for aspiring and existing charity leaders will strengthen your understanding of authentic leadership, so you can lead with integrity and impact

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

Member forum: The Civil Society Covenant

Learn more about the Civil Society Covenant, and the steps to implement it, in this free event.

Managing conflict and ending volunteering well (0.5 day)

This course will help you to manage conflict and problem solve with your volunteers, and navigate the process of ending volunteering well.

Strategic planning: tools for decision making (1 day)

This course will introduce processes and tools to help ensure that decision-making is responsive to your environment and focused on the most important issues affecting your organisation

Supporting good governance (4 x 0.5 days)

This course will help you implement structures and processes to support trustees, and ensure systems are aligned with your organisation’s purpose and objectives