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About us

Find out about our services, the way we operate and how we champion voluntary action

Who we are

We’re the membership community for charities, voluntary organisations and community groups in England

Our services

Find out how we can support you, from support for small charities and training to consultancy and corporate relations

Training

We offer a range of training courses designed to help you do what you do best

eLearning: Roles and duties of trustees

This flexible, interactive course will help you understand your duties as a trustee and support you to run your charity effectively so you can make a bigger difference

Leading on purpose

A practical four-month programme for emerging charity leaders who are on their way to leading organisations

Our vision for charity leaders

Learn about the mindset, knowledge and connections that emerging leaders need to guide the sector into the 2030s

Support for small charities and voluntary organisations

We know small charities make a big impact with limited resource - that's why we're here to help

A bigger role in building our future

  • Involving volunteers

The links between family and volunteering: A review of the evidence

  • Involving volunteers

Planning for tomorrow's workforce

  • Employing and managing staff
  • Business planning and strategy
  • Impact and evaluation

The inside track: July 2022

  • Government and politics
  • Law and regulation

Volunteering round-up: June 2022

  • Involving volunteers

Governance round-up: June 2022

  • Governance

Government policy and funding round-up: June 2022

  • Funding and income
  • Government and politics
  • Governance

The procurement bill: what does it mean for charities?

  • Government and politics
  • Law and regulation

Governance round-up: May 2022

  • Governance

Volunteering round-up: May 2022

  • Involving volunteers

Our financial position and the importance of timing

Learn more about your organisation's financial position and understanding the timings of financial challenges

  • Financial management

Insolvency and cashflow forecasts

Learn more about what insolvency means and how cashflow forecasting can help

  • Financial management

Taking control, adopting a people-centred approach and seeking professional advice

Guidance on taking control of your situation, adopting a people-centred approach and seeking professional advice

  • Financial management

Managing your energy costs

Learn about what support is available for managing energy costs and being energy efficient

  • Financial management

Key stages of collaboration

Learn about the key stages of collaboration and what they mean for your organisation

  • Collaboration

What is collaborative working?

Collaborative working, also known as joint or partnership working, covers a variety of ways that two or more organisations can work together

  • Collaboration

Benefits and risks of collaborative working

Decide whether collaboration will help you achieve your aims by learning about the potential benefits and risks

  • Collaboration

Should you collaborate?

A checklist of questions to help you decide whether to work collaboratively on a given project.

  • Collaboration

Top tips for collaboration

Tips to help voluntary organisations collaborate effectively with the right partners

  • Collaboration

The collaboration spectrum

This page explains the different ways that voluntary organisations may collaborate in order to bid for and deliver a commissioned contract

  • Collaboration

Financial governance for trustees (0.5 day)

This course will revisit the core financial duties of a charity trustee and explore what it means to practice good financial governance

Good practice in volunteer management (1 day)

This course provides an introduction to the key principles of good volunteer management and how to apply them in your organisation

Strategic leadership (1 day)

This practical one-day course for aspiring and existing charity leaders will elevate your strategic leadership skills, so you can create lasting impact for your organisations and the communities you serve.

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

Advanced data protection (2 x 0.5 days)

This advanced course is specifically for data protection leads or officers in charitable organisations.

How to handle volunteer concerns and complaints

Learn how to respond effectively and constructively to concerns and complaints raised by volunteers in this free webinar.

Charity finance strategy (1 day)

This course will give you an overview of how to build a simple finance strategy. We’ll introduce tools to help you build the financial resilience of your charity

Successful funding applications (0.5 day)

Learn Practical tips to ensure you are successful in your funding bid applications.

Data protection essentials (2 x 0.5 days)

This course will take you through the essentials of lawful data processing for charities and help improve your compliance with the law

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