Practical guidance to support your development at any stage of your development.
Covering the essentials of running a group and delivering its activities, whether you are starting, developing, growing or closing down your organisation, this page brings together practical resources to help you at each stage.
Note: The resources include guidance developed by us, alongside useful information and tools from trusted external organisations. Where we link to external resources, these organisations are responsible for their own content, guidance and advice. We recommend checking that information is relevant to your organisation and circumstances before acting on it.
We know navigating online resources can be confusing and overwhelming. If you would like tailored support, centred around your organisation, book in a meeting or contact us.
Starting A Group
Top Tip: When starting a group, it is often helpful to have more than one person involved from the beginning. If you plan to apply for external grant funding, funders will usually want to see a properly constituted organisation with a board that has appropriate independence and is not simply made up of people from the same family. Your founding board should work together to agree what the organisation is, who it exists to support, what it wants to achieve and how it will be governed.
Unincorporated Association – The simplest legal form a group can take. Unlike incorporated legal forms, an unincorporated association does not require formal legal registration to be established. Learn More (.pdf) [Community Southwark]
Charity – To start a charity you need trustees, to choose a business structure, decide suitable charitable purposes and you may have to register with the Charity Comission. Learn More [Charity Comission]
Community Interest Company (CIC) – A CIC is a special type of limited company which exists to benefit the community rather than private shareholders. Learn More [gov.uk]
Company Limited By Guarantee – A type of non-profit organisation if it does not distribute income to shareholders and surplus income is reinvested back into the organisation. Learn More [Resource Centre]
Co-operative – A step-by-step guide to test your idea, choose the right co-op structure, create your business plan and register your co-op. Learn More [Co-operatives UK]
Faith Institutions – Places of worship such as churches, gurdwaras, mandirs, mosques, synagogues, temples and viharas are normally charities. Learn More [Charity Commission]
Governance & Trusteeship
Good Governance Code – The Code sets out universal principles of governance for charities to consider and helps to shape a common view of what good looks like. Learn More [Charity Governance Code]
Policy Templates – Policies are internal rules, procedures and frameworks that guide a charity’s operations, support legal compliance, and protect its trustees, staff, volunteers and beneficiaries. They should be fit for purpose, tailored to your organisation and regularly reviewed and updated, particularly when there are changes in your organisation. Template Policies [Voluntary Action Islington]
Risk Assessments – Risk goes beyond what you can see. It can cover governance, operational, financial, external and compliance risks, as well as unexpected “Black Swan” events. Understanding and managing these risks is essential. Business continuity plans are crucial to help organisations prepare for disruption and continue operating when things go wrong. Learn More [Charity Commission]
Strategic Planning
Organisational Planning – Strategic plans should outline the goals of your organisation, how you want to achieve them and what resources you need. Learn More [Heritage Fund]
Leadership & Management
Project Management – The discipline of planning, organising, and overseeing resources to achieve specific goals within a set time-frame. Learn More [ICS Academy Exchange]
Tips For Charity Leaders – Views and practical advice to help charity leaders strengthen their organisation’s resilience and sustainability. Learn More [Kings Fund]
Co-operative Working – Guides designed to help you be more effective and co-operative in your co-op or project. Learn More [Seeds For Change]
Collaborative Working
Partnership Working – Lessons from organisations working in partnership across Wales, exploring the benefits, challenges and barriers, and what helps partnerships work effectively. Learn More (.pdf) [Community Fund]
Partnership Agreement Template – A template if you have one lead partner who gets all of the funding and passes some of it on to the other partners. Learn More (.doc) [Community Fund]
Co-production – Co-production is working together from design to delivery. It enables citizens and professionals to share power in equal partnership, to create opportunities for people to access support when they need it and to contribute to social change. Learn More
Managing People
Employing Someone For The First Time – Getting ready to employ someone? Know all your responsibilities as an employer, register with HMRC, set up PAYE, get insurance. Learn More [gov.uk]
Managing & Developing Staff – Guidance and practical tools to help you manage performance, support staff development, build effective teams and handle workplace challenges. Learn More [NCVO]
Find Volunteers – Support to organisations looking to start, improve, or expand their volunteer programmes. Learn More
Volunteer Management Resources – Useful templates and guidance for recruiting, inducting, supporting and managing volunteers: Volunteer Role Description (.doc), Volunteer Induction Form (.doc), Methods of Induction (.pdf), Volunteer Policy (.doc), Volunteer Handbook and Agreement (.docx), Volunteer Supervision Form (.doc), Volunteer Expenses Guidance, Volunteers and Benefits [NCVO and VAI]
Disclosure & Barring Service – Helping employers make safer recruitment decisions by processing criminal record checks. Learn More
Managing Money & Resources
Managing Money – Guidance and practical resources to help your group manage its finances, including keeping accurate records, budgeting, financial planning and template documents. Learn More [Resource Centre]
Charity Reporting & Accounts – Summarising the requirement for charities to produce accounts, reports and returns each year. Learn More [Resource Centre]
Finding Funding – If you need support in finding funding, project ideas, or reviewing applications. Learn More
Learning & Development
Forum & Networks – We run regular opportunities for the voluntary and community sector to connect, share ideas and work together. Learn More
Future Learn – Find online courses and degrees from leading universities or organisations and start learning online today. Learn More
Marketing & Communications
CharityComms – Practical guidance, case studies, and resources to help charities safely communicate and engage with communites. Learn More
Canva – A free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more. Learn More
Taking Photos – How community groups can be respectful around people’s privacy when taking photos at events. Learn More [Resource Centre]
Monitoring & Evaluations
Monitoring & Evaluation Frameworks – Developing a monitoring and evaluation framework helps you work out which pieces of information to collect to evidence your story of change. Learn More [NCVO]
Theory Of Change – A theory of change is a tool to help you describe the need you are trying to address, the changes you want to make (your outcomes), and what you plan to do (your activities). The approach can be used for organisations of all shapes and sizes, from service-delivery charities, to campaigning organisations, to funders. Learn More (.pdf) [NPC]
Data & Information – Explore how Harrow compares to national averages across key health areas such as dementia, respiratory conditions, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. You’ll also hear directly from our community champions, local voices who share lived experiences and highlight the challenges that matter most. Learn More
Other Helpful Tools
Cyber Essentials – Protect your organisation against the most common cyber threats with Cyber Essentials Learn More [National Cyber Security Centre]
Safeguarding Children, Young People & Adults – Everyone who works with children, young people or vulnerable adults has a responsibility for keeping them safe. Learn More
Environment – Green tips for creating a healthy planet. Learn More