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What is volunteering?

Find out what volunteering is and how to get started

  • Involving volunteers

Why involve volunteers?

How volunteers can benefit your organisation and play an important role in your work

  • Involving volunteers

Writing a volunteering strategy

A volunteer strategy helps secure the support to help your volunteering do more

  • Involving volunteers

Equity, diversity and inclusion in volunteering

Understand how equity, diversity and inclusion affects volunteers and those they support

  • Involving volunteers

Planning for volunteers

How to set your organisation up to involve volunteers

  • Involving volunteers

Writing volunteer role descriptions

How to write volunteer role descriptions that show your volunteers' roles and responsibilities

  • Involving volunteers

Paying volunteer expenses

It’s good practice to pay back volunteers for expenses they incur while volunteering

  • Involving volunteers

Coordinating volunteers

Understand volunteer coordinator roles and decide how to support your volunteers

  • Involving volunteers

Safeguarding and volunteers

Help volunteers understand their role in safeguarding and their own right to be safe

  • Involving volunteers

Writing a volunteer policy

How a volunteer policy can benefit your organisation and what it should include

  • Involving volunteers

BAME network reflections on our equity, diversity and inclusion work

  • Inside NCVO
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion

Changing our culture at NCVO

NCVO's chief executive Sarah Vibert reflects on the outcomes of independent investigations into complaints submitted to NCVO's board of trustees

  • Inside NCVO
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion

NCVO's equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) work over the last year

NCVO's chief executive Sarah Vibert shares learnings from our EDI report and sets out the actions we're taking to create an inclusive culture that allows everyone to thrive at work

  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Inside NCVO

Equity, diversity and inclusion at NCVO: What we need to do next

Karl Wilding, chief executive at NCVO, reflects on his own personal learning journey on equity diversity and inclusion (EDI), as well as how NCVO is taking the first steps towards being a more inclusive organisation

  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Inside NCVO

NCVO further strengthens board with two new trustees

NCVO has recruited two charity leaders to its board of trustees, further strengthening and diversifying the skills and experiences of its governing body

  • Inside NCVO

Hardwiring equity, diversity and inclusion into our governance at NCVO

Interim chair of trustees, Anne Heal, reflects on NCVO’s work on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI)

  • Inside NCVO
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion

Equity, diversity and inclusion: Our journey so far – part 1

NCVO's equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) working group reflect on the current state of the voluntary sector

  • Inside NCVO
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion

Equity, diversity and inclusion: Our journey so far – part 2

NCVO’s EDI working group share an update on the steps we're taking to improve our organisational culture

  • Inside NCVO
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion

Why apprenticeships are important for the voluntary sector

To mark National Apprenticeship Week 2023, Noama Chaudhry shares insights from her apprenticeship at NCVO and offers advice for the wider sector

  • Inside NCVO
  • Employing and managing staff

Some staff reflections on our equity, diversity and inclusion journey so far

  • Inside NCVO
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion

Cost and income structure

Writing the cost and income structure section of your business plan

  • Business planning and strategy

Financial forecasts

Writing the financial forecasts section of your business plan

  • Business planning and strategy

Risk map

Writing the risk map section of your business plan

  • Business planning and strategy

Business plan template

Use this tool to help your organisation write your business plan

What is safeguarding?

Find out what safeguarding means for your organisation

  • Safeguarding

Six steps to successful safeguarding

What the Charity Commission expects you to do, and the main areas of activity to focus on

  • Safeguarding

Law, rules and duties

Find out more about your legal and regulatory responsibilities in safeguarding

  • Safeguarding

Working overseas

Get advice on the safeguarding challenges of working outside the UK

  • Safeguarding

What to do if you have immediate concerns

If you’re worried about someone right now, follow these steps to help

  • Safeguarding

About these safeguarding pages

Find out more about the project supported by the National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport

  • Safeguarding

Data protection essentials (2 x 0.5 days)

This essentials course is suitable for anyone within an organisation that handles the personal data of staff, service users, beneficiaries, volunteers, customers, members or supporters, and needs to know the basics of data protection for voluntary organisations.

Safeguarding essentials for trustees (0.5 day)

This introductory course explains the key trustee responsibilities for safeguarding, following guidance from the Charity Commission

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

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

Small Charity Week 2025 Webinar: Top tips to create an effective fundraising strategy

This free webinar as part of Small Charity Week 2025, will give small charity leaders practical tips to develop and deliver a successful fundraising strategy to ensure the resilience and sustainability of their charity.

Trust fundraising in a challenging climate: Over to you

We know that increased competition for funding, shifting priorities among funders, and economic uncertainty are making trust fundraising more challenging for charities. It’s more important than ever to understand the evolving funding landscape and adapt your approach. This free event is an opportunity to network with other NCVO members in facilitated discussions. Share experiences and challenges, work through solutions together, develop new relationships and learn from your peers.

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

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

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in charity governance (2 x 0.5 days)

This course has been created by The Social Justice Collective to help you understand, address and embed equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) into your governance practice