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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

Even over statements

Use this tool to help your organisation explore tradeoffs

Volunteering round-up: November 2022

  • Involving volunteers

Call for continuing energy bill support for voluntary organisations

Charities hit hardest by spiralling energy costs are facing a cliff edge of support unless the government continues subsidising bills past March 2023

  • Government and politics

The inside track: November 2022

Our latest update on what’s happening in Westminster that might impact charities. This month sees a new government, with plenty for charities to think about.

  • Government and politics

Five ways to support your staff during the cost of living crisis

Five ways you can support staff through the cost of living crisis when resources are limited

  • Responding to crises

Government policy and funding round-up: December 2022

This round-up will help you to stay informed about our influencing work, and any government policy and funding announcements. For news related to what’s happening in parliament, see our regular inside track round-up.

  • Government and politics
  • Funding and income

Governance round-up: December 2022

NCVO's senior consultancy and training manager Dan Francis reflects on how the events of 2022 have shaped charity governance

  • Governance

Volunteers responding to crises

What we learned during the National Volunteering Forum, along with examples of actions you can take in response to the volunteering challenges facing the sector

  • Responding to crises

New Year message from NCVO's chief executive

As we enter the new year, read our advice for how to prepare for the challenges the sector is facing.

  • Government and politics
  • Responding to crises

Call for a long-term solution to the energy crisis

We’ve called for an urgent review into who's included in the government’s new energy discount scheme. We’re also calling for work to begin on a long-term support plan for the voluntary sector

  • Responding to crises

Governance round-up: January 2023

As we begin a new year, governance consultant Sally Stephens looks ahead to the big stories for 2023

  • Governance

Organise your finances for closure

Key financial steps your need to take when closing your organisation

Supporting your staff and volunteers through closure

Your duty of care to staff, volunteers and beneficiaries should be at the top of any closure plans

Supporting your leadership team and trustees through closure

Closing an organisation will require courage and commitment from an organisation’s leadership

You hold data

You have a website and social media presence

You're currently fundraising

Guidance on refusing donations, communicating with donors, and returning donations

You have restricted funding

You have a permanent endowment

You have physical assets

You own land or property

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

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

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

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

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