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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

Creating inclusive growth: Local Enterprise Partnerships' engagement with the voluntary sector

  • Collaboration
  • Involving volunteers

Levelling up: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund

  • Government and politics

Volunteering: A family affair? Summary report

  • Involving volunteers

Volunteering: A family affair?

  • Involving volunteers

Beyond charities

  • Equity, diversity and inclusion

The impact of covid-19 on the voluntary sector

  • Coronavirus
  • Involving volunteers

The Road Ahead 2020

A review of the voluntary sector's operating environment.

  • Responding to crises
  • Coronavirus
  • Funding and income

Creating partnerships for success

  • Collaboration
  • Impact and evaluation

Time Well Spent: Volunteering in the public sector

  • Involving volunteers

About mergers

Information on the types of charity mergers and the different reasons for merging

  • Collaboration

Deciding to merge

This page highlights key questions to think about before making the decision to merge

  • Collaboration

Due diligence

Actions to ensure a planned merger is in the best interests of your organisations and beneficiaries

  • Collaboration

Pre-merger: Areas of focus

Things to consider in the run-up to a formal merger

  • Collaboration

Merger process

Planning the process with stakeholders and making sure you are clear about the role of your organisation’s regulator is key

  • Collaboration

Actions post-merger

What to consider once your merger has completed

  • Collaboration

Working with local Compacts

A guide to implementing local Compact agreements between voluntary organisations and local authorities, health services, and government departments

  • Collaboration

Coproduction and service user involvement

How to involve people who use services in the design and delivery of services

  • Collaboration

Joint working agreements explained

What to consider when setting up a joint working agreement

  • Collaboration

Joint working agreement checklist

A checklist to help you develop a joint working agreement

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

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.

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

Tools and methods for measuring outcomes (1 day)

Get an introduction to data collection methods and practical guidance for evaluating your work

Introduction to EDI in charities (2 x 0.5 days)

This course introduces the key principles of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and how to apply them to your organisation

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

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.

Advanced data protection (2 x 0.5 days)

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