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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

Governance round-up: September 2023

The latest guidance from the Charity Commission, new governance resources and upcoming training

  • Governance

National Inclusion Week: Why the language we use matters in building belonging

NCVO shares changes we’re making to our use of language along with reflections for the wider sector

  • Inside NCVO
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion

UK Civil Society Almanac 2023

The UK Civil Society Almanac, published annually by NCVO, 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

Narrowing the voluntary sector’s gender pay gap

Our policy and influencing manager Catherine Goodall talks about our work to address the gender pay gap – and explores what you can do to support change across the sector

  • Equity, diversity and inclusion

5 ways to embody the spirit of pride all year round

For National Inclusion Week, the NCVO Rainbow Network shares their thoughts on how to provide opportunities for making organisations more inclusive for the LGBTQIA+ community.

  • Equity, diversity and inclusion

Three key insights from this year’s NCVO Almanac

Following the release of our UK Civil Society Almanac 2023, our research and insight manager, Nayyara Tabassum, explores some of the report’s key takeaways

Volunteering round-up: October 2023

The latest volunteering news, resources and dates for your diary

  • Involving volunteers

NCVO AGM 2023: New trustees and priorities for the future

Highlights and key talking points from our annual general meeting

  • Inside NCVO

Governance round-up: October 2023

The latest guidance, resources and training for governance professionals

  • Governance

Meeting the challenges of a Cost of Giving Crisis this winter

NCVO's CEO Sarah Vibert launches our campaign to support charities and voluntary organisations this winter

  • Cost of living

Political campaigning

Guidance to help you campaign with confidence during an election

  • Government and politics
  • Campaigning

What's different about charity finance

Find out what makes charity finance different and how to plan appropriately

  • Financial management

Internal controls

Internal controls are the things you do to help manage the risk of an error or a fraud

  • Financial management

Fraud

How to be aware of the risk factors relating to fraud and take steps to protect your organisation.

  • Financial management

Audit and independent examination

The difference between audits and independent examinations and how to prepare for both

  • Financial management

Record keeping and accounting

The basic principles of bookkeeping are the same for charities as for other organisations, you just need to be aware of the slightly different emphasis and the need to keep restricted funds separate.

  • Financial management

Writing a financial strategy

Guidance on creating a financial strategy and what you need to include

  • Financial management

Funding and income planner

A pre-built spreadsheet that calculates your income percentages when you input your current funding and future targets

Budgeting and cashflows

How to create budgets, cashflow forecasts and understanding the cashflow process

  • Financial management

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

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

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

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