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Setting the direction of your organisation

Find out what's involved in setting the direction of your charity

  • Business planning and strategy

Understanding your landscape and conditions

Learn about understanding your organisation's landscape and conditions and the tools that can help with this

  • Business planning and strategy

Gathering knowledge to assess your situation

Use this section to select the right tools to help you understand your landscape and conditions.

  • Business planning and strategy

SWOT

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

PESTLE

A guide to help organisations consider how the world is changing

Other players

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

Making good decisions

Learn about how to make good decisions and the tools that can help with this

  • Business planning and strategy

Deciding what you will do and how

Find out about how to select the right tools to help you make good decisions

  • Business planning and strategy

Dual bottom line analysis

A guide to help your organisation explore it's activities to assess the extent to which each contributes to value and surplus

Forcefield analysis

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

Time to flex: Embracing flexible working

  • Employing and managing staff
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion

The Road Ahead 2022

  • Coronavirus
  • Responding to crises
  • Government and politics

UK Civil Society Almanac 2021

  • Government and politics
  • Involving volunteers

Levelling up: The role of charities and volunteering

  • Government and politics
  • Involving volunteers

Charities Bill: Lords Second Reading

  • Government and politics

Where power lies: How lived experience is engaged in voluntary sector governance and decision-making

  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Governance

Rebalancing the Relationship: Final report

  • Employing and managing staff
  • Collaboration

Rebalancing the relationship: emerging findings and draft recommendations

  • Employing and managing staff
  • Collaboration

The Road Ahead 2021

  • Funding and income
  • Coronavirus
  • Responding to crises

Time Well Spent: Diversity and volunteering

  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Involving volunteers

Involving paid staff as volunteers

Things to consider when paid staff want to volunteer for the organisation that employs them

  • Involving volunteers

Data protection and volunteers

Guidance on holding and protecting data on volunteers

  • Involving volunteers

Employment status

Guidance on when a volunteer can demonstrate that they're working under a contract, and what that means

  • Involving volunteers

Tribunal decisions

Examples of tribunal decisions where a volunteer be seen as an employee

  • Involving volunteers

National minimum wage

What happens if a volunteer is found to be eligible for the minimum wage

  • Involving volunteers

Making sure you don't create an employment contract

How to make the most of volunteers while ensuring they don’t become workers or employees

  • Involving volunteers

Volunteering and benefits

Learn more about volunteering while receiving state benefits

  • Involving volunteers

Volunteering, tax and national insurance

Learn about the tax and national insurance implications for volunteers

  • Involving volunteers

Volunteering and health and safety

Guidance on the health and safety measures you need to put in place when working with volunteers

  • Involving volunteers

Insurance and volunteers

Guidance on arranging insurance for volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations

  • Involving volunteers

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

NCVO member welcome and refresher session: July 2025

Being an NCVO member means being part of a community. Whether you've just joined us, or you're renewing your membership and need a refresher, join this session to meet and network with other members online

All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Charities and Volunteering

A chance to hear from regulators about their plans for the voluntary sector.

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.

Outcomes and impact measurement (1 day)

Learn how to create an evaluation plan to better understand and demonstrate the difference your work makes

Managing people in the charity sector (2 days)

This course will equip managers in the voluntary sector with the skills and techniques they need to effectively manage paid members of staff

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

NCVO/Zurich webinar: navigating financial risk with confidence (1 day)

Learn how to navigate today’s toughest financial challenges facing small voluntary organisations. Discover the tools, insights, and real-world examples you need to build resilience, manage risk and lead with financial confidence.

Volunteering network meeting

A network open to all NCVO members working within the volunteering ecosystem. Join us to discuss your volunteering challenges and work with the group to find solutions

Leading external engagement (2 days)

This practical two-day course for aspiring and existing charity leaders will build your confidence and skills to deliver impact for yourself and your organisation. Learn who your key stakeholders are and how to use communication tools to build engagement and partnerships