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01. Service development and project planning
When it comes to developing your services and planning projects, BBC Children in Need offers a helpful 10-step guide which can easily be adapted to suit your specific beneficiaries.
You can also get a comprehensive overview of project management tools from JustGiving and Charity Digital – both tailored for charities – and NCVO members can access its business planning templates.
02. Marketing and communications
A well-crafted marketing plan helps you reach your target audience, communicate your mission effectively, and secure funding. You can find extensive marketing advice available online – here are some resources and ideas which are relevant to not-for-profit organisations:
- For tips on creating an effective marketing plan for small organisations, visit the Marketing Donut
- To access a range of marketing resources, go to NCVO
- For online presence, read the social media guide from Charity Comms and watch the introduction to social media from Small Charities Coalition
- For tips on engaging with the media, read the Media Trust’s guides on writing press releases and getting into local and regional media
- To make it easy for people to find out about you, register your charity with Buckinghamshire Council’s directory
- Utilise local channels such as parish newsletters and community boards to spread the word about your services
- Collaborate with local GPs, churches, and pharmacies to ensure they can direct people in need to your organisation
03. HR guidance
It is important for charities and other not-for-profit organisations to consider all HR issues to keep staff productive, engaged and meeting the goals of the organisation. There are number of organisations that we would suggest if you have an HR query or issue:
- If you need legal advice and have an income under £500,000, LawWorks can connect you with volunteer solicitors. It can also assist on other areas including corporate, employment, intellectual property and property law.
- For advice on common HR issues, watch LawWorks’ free educational videos.
- For free impartial advice on workplace rights, rules and best practices, visit ACAS, including eLearning modules on a variety of employment topics including mental health, redundancy, and diversity.
- If you are a NCVO member, you can access template policies and resources on the NCVO website.
- For information and advice about managing volunteers, visit our Recruiting and managing volunteers page.
Are you employing staff for the first time? Download our Guide to Employing Staff
04. IT and digital technology
Digital technology is now essential for most charities and community groups – from service delivery, fundraising to back-office functions. Several organisations have published IT advice specifically for charities and other not-for-profit organisations:
- Step-by-step guidance on making the best use of digital tools from NCVO
- How to improve cyber security within your charity from the National Cyber Security Centre, including an online tool to help you know how resilient your organisation is
- Free IT support for charities from Charity IT Association
- Chance to save up to 97% on a wide range of products with Charity Digital Exchange
05. Financial management
Setting up a bank account for your organisation is a crucial step and our Guide to Bank Accounts can help you navigate this process.
For other guidance on financial management, have a look at the following resources:
- Information and training on all aspects of charity finance from the Charity Finance Group, including its Small Charity Finance programme which is focused on organisations with a turnover under £1m
- Five-minute guide on managing charity finance from the Charity Commission
- Guidance on completing statutory accounts to the Charity Commission and/or Companies House from Charity SORP
- Tools and advice on a range of financial management issues are available to NCVO members
- Tips on how to prepare your trustee annual report and accounts from the Charity Excellence Framework
- A simple checklist tool to assess your current financial practices from the Sage Foundation
06. Working with other organisations
Networking in the voluntary sector is not just beneficial – it is essential. By working together, charities can pool their expertise and resources, share best practices, and tackle local issues more effectively. Read about the benefits and risks of collaborative working on NCVO’s website.
Join Buckinghamshire’s Local Voluntary Sector Network
Bringing together charities, community groups, and social enterprises to meet and collaborate.
07. Legal advice
Almost every facet of establishing and managing a voluntary sector organisation involves some form of legal consideration – from selecting the appropriate legal structure to understanding charity law, employment regulations, data protection, equality laws, taxation, and contracts.
There are several sources of tailored legal advice for not-for-profit organisations available:
- Comprehensive legal information from Law Donut.
- Pro bono legal advice from Law Works.
- Free Legal Toolkit from Slaughter and May.
Use our free Healthcheck Tool to check you have the correct day-to-day procedures in place.
Need tailored advice?
Complete the support request form to get one-to-one tailored advice on all aspects of running an organisation.
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