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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

Saskia Konynenburg appointed Interim Chief Executive of NCVO

  • Governance
  • Leadership

Civil Society Covenant launched to reset partnership with government

  • Campaigning
  • Government and politics

Help shape new public procurement rules for charities

  • Government and politics
  • Funding and income

How we help charities build confidence in evaluation

Many charities want to evaluate their impact but lack time or confidence. This blog shares how we support practical, sustainable approaches to self-evaluation.

  • Business planning and strategy
  • Impact and evaluation

Kate Lee OBE appointed new chief executive

NCVO announces the appointment of Kate Lee OBE as its new chief executive, joining at a crucial moment for the voluntary sector.

  • Leadership
  • Governance

Writing a data protection policy and procedures

Use this to help you write your data protection policy and procedures and other related documents.

  • Digital and technology

Funding for digital and technology costs

How to apply for grant funding for digital and technology costs

  • Digital and technology

Using volunteers to build your digital and technology skills and capacity

Find out about national schemes to provide charities and other organisations with digital volunteer support

  • Digital and technology

Choosing the right digital agency or freelancer

How to choose the right digital agency or freelancer for your charity, organisation or community group

  • Digital and technology

Great conversations with digital partners

How to build a great relationship with your organisation's digital partners

Understanding digital communications, campaigns and content

Get started with digital communications, campaigns and content in the charity sector and find out who can help

  • Digital and technology
  • Campaigning

Data and insight

Get the basics on data and insight and why they matter to charities, organisations and community groups

  • Digital and technology

SWOT

A guide to help your organisation with your SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis

  • Business planning and strategy

PESTLE

A guide to help organisations consider how the world is changing

  • Business planning and strategy

Other players

A guide for your organisation to look at the priorities and impact of other organisations in your area of work

  • Business planning and strategy

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

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

Member forum: The Civil Society Covenant

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

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

Introduction to EDI in charities (2 x 0.5 days)

This course introduces the key principles of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and how to apply them to your organisation