BBC Children in Need have a helpful 10-step guide to planning a project. Where this plan refers to children and young people, think about whoever your beneficiaries are!
If you become a member of the NCVO you can access their business planning templates.
Read JustGiving’s blog and Charity Digital’s blog on project management tools for charities.
Demonstrating the difference, you make is critical for charities and voluntary organisations to be able to secure funding and support as well as motivate staff and volunteers. The resources below will help you develop an approach that is right for your organisation.
Inspiring Impact has a great range of tools and resources to help you plan, understand, communicate, and improve the difference your group or organisation makes in the world.
Look at the NCVO guide and self-assessment tool to review and improve your organisations impact practice.
The National Lottery have a range of tools and resources to help you gather and use evidence and learning.
Read Charity Digital’s blog on digital tools to help measure impact and The Guardian’s guide to resources and tools.
Getting the message out effectively is important in creating impact for your beneficiaries and securing funding. Below are several resources to help you.
General marketing resources:
Writing a marketing plan:
Press and media:
Social media:
Expert support:
You can advertise marketing, branding and communications projects on Media Trust for help from a skilled volunteer.
The Law Donut has lots of useful legal information.
Legal advice for not for profits from Law Works.
Slaughter and May produce a Legal Toolkit, free for charities to download.
Charities and other non-profit organisations rely on their staff and volunteers to achieve their aims and make a difference to people’s lives, so it is important to ensure all HR issues are considered to keep staff productive, engaged and consistently fulfilling the goals of your charity.
Find further information on our HR guidance for charities page.
Using digital technology throughout your organisation is now essential for most charities and community groups; in service delivery, fundraising and back-office functions. However, it is an area in which many charities are aware that they need to do more.
Setting up a bank account for your organisation? Find out more with the Guide to Bank Accounts.
National Council for Voluntary Organisation members can access a range of tools and advice through NCVO, including the different statutory reporting requirements for charities, what financial procedures and controls to have in place, banking, tax, and what to do if you find yourself in financial difficulty.
Charity Finance Group has lots of information and offers training about all aspects of charity finance. Its Small Charity Finance programme has tools and resources aimed at organisations under £1m turnover,
The Charity Commission has a 5-minute guide on managing charity finances and the Charity SORP sets out what you need to cover when reporting your statutory accounts to the Charity Commission and/or Companies House.
The Charity Excellence Framework has helpful information on how to prepare your trustee annual report and accounts and the difference between Independent Examination and Charity Audit.
The Sage Foundation has produced a simple checklist tool to help you assess your current financial practices within your organisation.
