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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

England riots: Statement from NCVO's chief executive

  • Responding to crises

How charities can tackle misinformation

  • Digital and technology

England riots: Letter to civil society from DCMS Secretary of State

The Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP shares support for the voluntary sector in the wake of riots and unrest across England

  • Responding to crises

New report highlights digital barriers for disabled volunteers

We share key findings from a new report that highlights the digital barriers stopping many disabled adults from fully participating in volunteering

  • Equity, diversity and inclusion

NCVO at the Labour Party Conference: Key takeaways

A round-up of the key conversations and takeaways from the Labour Party Conference

  • Campaigning
  • Government and politics

Trustee confidence: Key research findings and actions for your board

NCVO's governance consultant Mo Wiltshire shares highlights from the Charity Commission’s recent research into trustee confidence

  • Governance

NCVO welcomes new president and trustees at 2024 AGM

Baroness Delyth Morgan was confirmed as NCVO's new president. Two new trustees, Ruth Marvel and Louise Posocco, were also appointed

  • Inside NCVO
  • Governance

UK Civil Society Almanac 2024

Published annually by NCVO, the Almanac is the definitive publication on the state of the voluntary sector. Widely cited by the media, it is used extensively by sector leaders, policy makers, journalists and academics.

  • Government and politics
  • Involving volunteers

Understanding Trustee Recruitment and Retention Challenges

A survey of the voluntary sector

  • Involving volunteers
  • Governance

Budget 2024: Key implications for charities

Our round-up of the new Labour government’s spending plans and what they mean for charities and communities

  • Government and politics
  • Funding and income

Dual bottom line analysis

  • Business planning and strategy

Forcefield analysis

Use this tool to help you identify the forces working for and against a particular option

  • Business planning and strategy

Even over statements

Use this tool to help your organisation explore tradeoffs

  • Business planning and strategy

Deciding to close

Important things to consider before deciding to close your voluntary organisation

  • Closing down

Reasons to close

Every voluntary organisation should regularly ask whether it’s still well placed to achieve its goals

Alternatives to closure

If your organisation is still financially viable, you may want to consider alternative options to closure

Factors to consider before closing

Whatever your reasons for considering closure, you’re likely to have legal responsibilities to follow

Planning for closure

Steps you need to take before closing your organisation

  • Closing down

Create a closure plan

Depending on your route to closure and your legal structure, you may have different legal duties and wider responsibilities

Plan your closure communications

Once the decision has been made to close, you’ll need to decide who to inform and how to inform them

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