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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

Employment Rights Bill: what charities need to know

The Employment Rights Bill introduces the biggest changes to UK employment law in decades. Find out when these changes will happen and what you should be doing to get ready.

Updates to NCVO’s executive team

Membership body announces changes to its executive team following the arrival of new CEO, Kate Lee.

What the Autumn 2025 Budget means for your charity

Limited measures announced, but not enough to ease financial strain on charities.

  • Funding and income
  • Government and politics

Charities facing mission-limiting hostility, fear and intimidation

A new report from NCVO explores impact of rise in extremism and social division on the voluntary sector.

  • Responding to crises
  • Government and politics

Why the government’s asylum proposals are bad for volunteering

  • Involving volunteers
  • Government and politics

Local Covenant Partnerships Fund announced

The government has announced a new initiative designed to support stronger, fairer and more collaborative relationships between charities and local government.

  • Funding and income
  • Government and politics

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

Community fundraising

Guidance on involving volunteers in fundraising

  • Safeguarding

Corporate fundraising

What to consider when corporate fundraising

  • Safeguarding

Major donor fundraising

Safeguarding guidance for major donor fundraising

  • Safeguarding

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.

Leading external engagement ( 1 day)

This training will teach you how to raise your profile and the profile of your charity. You’ll learn how to improve your external engagement through network-building, collaboration, partnership development and effective communication.

Tools and methods for measuring outcomes (1 day)

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

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

Recruiting volunteers (0.5 day)

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

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 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

Developing a volunteer strategy (1 day)

Get an overview of the key tasks and considerations when creating a volunteer strategy. Learn how to develop a strategy that compliments your business plan and create a framework for building success