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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

The Road Ahead 2024

The Road Ahead 2024 is our annual report on the changing landscape for voluntary sector organisations

  • Government and politics

Volunteering round-up: January 2024

The latest volunteering news, resources and dates for your diary

  • Involving volunteers

Governance round-up: January 2024

A round-up of the latest governance news, resources and dates for your diary

  • Governance

The inside track: January 2024

Our latest update on what’s happening in Westminster and how it might impact charities

  • Government and politics

Listen, act and change this Race Equality Week

Our people partner Charmaine Goddard reflects on the work NCVO and the wider sector are doing to challenge racism and inequity

  • Inside NCVO
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion

Rethinking charity internships

Charity Interns founder Maya Bhose shares how this innovative new programme is bringing new talent into the voluntary sector

  • Employing and managing staff

Volunteering round-up: February 2024

Senior volunteering consultant Helen Tourle shares the latest volunteering news, resources and dates for your diary

  • Involving volunteers

Re-invigorating volunteering with Active Kindness

Senior volunteering consultant Helen Tourle shares lessons from a unique volunteering programme

  • Involving volunteers

Governance round-up: February 2024

A round-up of the latest governance news, resources and dates for your diary

  • Governance

The Road Ahead 2024: Opportunities and challenges for the voluntary sector

Our latest Road Ahead report analyses major trends and issues for 2024 to help chart a path through the year

Interviews

How to conduct interviews

  • Safeguarding

Pre-employment checks

How to carry out pre-employment checks

  • Safeguarding

Onboarding, training and support

Safeguarding for onboarding, training and support

  • Safeguarding

Exit interviews

How to conduct exit interviews safely

  • Safeguarding

Sample safeguarding questions

Safeguarding questions to use during interviews

  • Safeguarding

Supporting safeguarding for your organisation

How you can support safeguarding for your organisation, internally and externally

  • Safeguarding

Specific safeguarding risks in communications and marketing

How to communicate about your organisation's work safely

  • Safeguarding

People who need safeguarding while fundraising

How to make safeguarding a central part of your fundraising

  • Safeguarding

Fundraising checklist and more resources

Making sure you’ve covered important aspects of safeguarding when fundraising

  • Safeguarding

Types of fundraising and associated risks

What are the safeguarding risks associated with different types of fundraising?

  • Safeguarding

Designated safeguarding leads in charities (1 day)

This one-day training course provides an overview of the roles and responsibilities of safeguarding leads in charities in England

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

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

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.