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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

Small charity helpdesk

Ask our practical support team any question about the setting up or running of your charity or voluntary organisation.

The FSI to transfer key small charity assets to NCVO on closure

The Foundation for Social Improvement and NCVO have reached an agreement to transfer the FSI’s key charity assets to NCVO when the organisation ceases activity on 3 May 2023

  • Inside NCVO

Small charity support: 5 key points for insfrastructure organisations

  • Collaboration

How to join the Big Help Out

We share stories from people taking part in the Big Help Out and explain how you can get involved and make a difference in your community

  • Involving volunteers

Governance round-up: May 2023

This month we share reflections from our Governance Forum and introduce our new governance consultant

  • Governance

Practical support bulletin: May 2023

Amy Walton, small charity support manager, shares resources, free events, support and information on the big issues affecting small charities.

  • Financial management
  • Funding and income
  • Responding to crises

Raise your voice: Help NCVO and ACEVO develop a manifesto

Share your experiences and views with decision makers ahead of the next general election

  • Government and politics

Exploring new routes into charity employment for over 50s

New Charity Interns project will be hosted by NCVO and offer paid internships to people aged over 50

  • Employing and managing staff
  • Inside NCVO

Impact round-up: Spring 2023

Evaluation consultant Lucy Lernelius takes a deep dive into measuring the impact of volunteering

  • Impact and evaluation

Volunteers’ Week 2023: Building on the legacy of The Big Help Out

Director of strategic communications and insight, Saskia Konynenburg, shares ways to get involved in Volunteers' Week 2023

  • Involving volunteers

Volunteers’ Week 2023: Making volunteering accessible with the Alternative Futures Group

How to make volunteering accessible for people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions

  • Equity, diversity and inclusion

Responsible and ethical use of technology

Guidance around using technology responsibly and ethically in your organisation

  • Digital and technology

Understanding responsible and ethical use of technology

Use this page to understand why you need a plan to manage ethical risks when you use technology

  • Digital and technology

Technology — when good intentions go wrong

Use this page to explore imagined-from-life examples which look at the ethical challenges involved in technology and what can go wrong

  • Digital and technology

Consequence scanning when you work with technology

How to reduce technology-based risk within your organisations

  • Digital and technology

The digital maturity matrix

The digital maturity matrix is a simple tool to assess your current strengths and weaknesses, and helps you see what you need to do next to improve.

How AI can help small charities

Understanding artificial intelligence (AI) and how small charities can use it to improve their work.

  • Digital and technology

Dealing with unconscious bias

Tackle one of the biggest obstacles we face when creating digital content, software and services

Planning user research

Use this page to learn about how to plan user research. The first step in planning any successful digital project is to explore what people need. Here are some methods to help you do that well.

  • Digital and technology

Asking good user research interview questions

Use this page to ask the right kind of questions when you're planning user research interviews

  • Digital and technology

Best practice and legal compliance for consent and data storage

  • Digital and technology

Recruiting volunteers (0.5 day)

This course will develop your skills and help you use a marketing approach to recruit volunteers

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

Safeguarding essentials in charities (1 day)

All voluntary organisations have a duty to keep the people they work with safe from harm. This course introduces the basics of safeguarding within a charity context in England and highlights effective safeguarding practice

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

Tools and methods for measuring outcomes (1 day)

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

Advanced data protection (2 x 0.5 days)

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

Volunteers and the law (0.5 day)

This course will help you create a positive and inclusive experience for volunteers. The course will explore best practice in relation to safeguarding, data protection, health and safety, and equality

Successful funding applications (0.5 day)

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

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

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