Our list of the best models or examples of Policies and templates to help you develop your documents:
Template Volunteer Policy
We have created a template policy for you to use in your preparation for working with volunteers.
Example Volunteer Agreements
This very simple one is from the Volunteer Now website.
Volunter Risk Assessment
Volunteer Risk Assessment Template
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) offers an in-depth section on Involving Volunteers.
June the 23rd to June 30th is widely recognised as Small Charities Week in the UK. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the great work that small charities undertake, often unseen, which benefits our local communities. Whilst the definition of a small charity is probably up for debate, most people view it as organisations with a turnover of less than 250K. It’s widely recognised that of the 164,000 charities which operate in the UK, 97% are deemed small. In Northamptonshire, 96% of our charities are seen as small or even micro. Life can be tough as a small charity, so if you’ve survived or even thrived up to this point take a deep breath and give yourself a huge round of applause. That’s not an easy task, especially given the complex nature of our operating environment.
The Cranfield Trust have just issued a report calling on more support for small charities. Its called Championing our national asset and it can be viewed here:
Call for action to safeguard the future of small charities | Cranfield Trust
One of the headline themes is this: They quote:
The report highlights the need for investment in leadership and management ensuring charity managers have the skills and support to strengthen governance, strategic planning, and operational resilience. Additionally, it stresses the importance of strengthening governance through diverse and strategically recruited boards and calls on policymakers to simplify funding applications and reporting requirements.
They also state:
Crucially, in line with the Voluntary Sector Covenant, the report urges the government to recognise small charities as a key partner and national asset and to use their knowledge more strategically. Small charities need urgent investment through multi-year commitments, as, without meaningful change, many organisations may struggle to survive, leaving vulnerable communities without essential support.
However, and like so many things in life, its only missed when its gone. The answers are where they always been:
The last point is critical. Many argue that there are too many charities within our marketplace, competing for too few resources and fighting over territory. Its an old chestnut but probably true. The only way that some charities will survive is by working together and skill pooling.
I hope to see many more Small Charities Weeks in the years ahead, but every CEO or leader now must think about the best way to achieve that. We know for certain that our funding landscape is changing inextricably and possibly forever. Small charities like any other business must change what they do to meet new aspirations or funder preferences.
NCVO have compiled some resources for Small Charities Week which can be viewed here: Downloadable assets | Small Charity Week
Use Small Charities Week as an opportunity to raise your profile and begin conversations with others. You never know where it might take you…..
Charities throughout the UK use Digital media to influence, campaign, and fundraise more than ever before.
Charity Digital have just issued their Digital Code of Practice for 2025 which can be viewed here
Like most Codes of Practice, it’s not a mandatory requirement, but a way of improving a charity’s relationship with digital platforms and inform best practice.
They State:
We hope that charities will use the Code as a practical tool to identify what they are doing well in digital, as well as any gaps they need to address. Digital is rapidly evolving. Organisations who deploy digital successfully will constantly test, learn from, and improve strategies, tactics, and the technologies they use. It is envisaged that organisations will review their progress against the Code at consistent intervals, ensuring it is part of their continuous improvement. The Code is ambitious and offers a positive challenge to charities, but it also provides best-practice principles you can adopt with limited resources
SAWN (Social Action West Northamptonshire) and the Doddridge Centre want to hear from CEOs about a CEO Network: We need to know what you want and when you want it.
Complete the simple survey here
Our intention is to run 4 each year, but this needs to be informed through your views. We need as many CEO’s or principal decision makers to complete the survey which should take no longer than 5 minutes.
With resources being constrained, we need to ensure the best value for money whilst delivering the right support mechanism to CEOs across West Northamptonshire.
SAWN is a partnership of Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire, South Northants Volunteer Bureau, and Daventry Volunteers.
The West Northamptonshire Place Board continues to meet every 2 weeks and VIN keeps a watching brief over Discussions and Presentations.
Recently tabled were the Police Plan for 2025 – 2028 which can be viewed here.
The West Northamptonshire Active Lives Strategy can be seen here.
An update on the NSport Sport England Fund for designated Neighbourhoods can be viewed here.
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) remains committed to supporting community-led events and activities across the area.
The Council, which has a new political administration led by the majority party Reform UK following last month’s elections, continues to give its backing to a busy and varied local community events calendar for the year ahead, providing resource and support to community organisers.
Community-led events and activities that will be supported by WNC in the year ahead include activities for Pride, Windrush and Diwali, as well as Remembering Srebrenica Day, Ukrainian Independence Day, Hate Crime Awareness Week, Black History Month, International Women’s and Men’s Days, Emergency Services Day, Holocaust Memorial Day and Stephen Lawrence Day. The Council will also continue to show its support to key events in the military calendar beginning with Armed Forces Week later this month, alongside Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday, Merchant Navy Day and VJ Day 80th Anniversary commemorations.
For more information view the full article here
What is an Unincorporated Association?
An unincorporated association is one of the simplest types of voluntary group. It is made up of two or more people who come together to pursue a common, non-profit aim, such as running a community garden, organising local events, or supporting a group of people with shared interests or needs.
These groups are:
While you don’t need to register with any central body, to function effectively — especially when applying for funding or managing money — you do need a written constitution.
If you would like to find out about other types of organisations that exist in the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise Sector (VCSE) then read our short introduction to Legal Structures.
What is a Constitution?
A constitution is a written document that acts as the formal agreement between the members of your group about how it will be run. It is essentially a group’s internal rulebook — setting out:
A constitution provides the foundation for good governance. It ensures everyone involved understands the group’s aims and how decisions are made. Some small groups choose not to have one. However, whatever your size, they can bring benefits, as it:
What Should a Small Group Constitution Include?
Here’s a simple structure your constitution should follow. You can adapt it to suit your group’s needs.
Name of the Group
Clearly state the full name of your group. It should be simple and clear, and it should reflect your group’s identity.
Aims and Objectives
Describe the group’s main purpose. What do you want to achieve? Keep this clear and focused.
Powers
List what the group is allowed to do to meet its aims — e.g. raise funds, hire staff, rent space.
Membership
Who can join? What are the rights and responsibilities of members? Can members be removed? Please note committee members are also members, so as soon as you form your committee you have a membership and then you can decide in your own time how you will expand that membership.
Management
Your group will need to set up a Management Committee to make decisions about the group. It is also necessary to have Annual General Meetings where the Management Committee is elected by the membership.
Small groups usually have, as a minimum, a Chair, Secretary and treasurer who each have specific roles and responsibilities.
Meetings and Decision-Making
You need to specify how often your Management Committee will meet each year. This will depend on the activities that you undertake, and how often decision will need to be made
You also need to say how many members of the Management Committee should be present (quorum) to enable decision to be made about the group.
You need to hold an Annual General Meeting every year. This is open to all members. Again you need to decide on your quorum i.e. how many members must be present for the AGM to go ahead.
If you want to have a meeting of all the members (General Meeting) outside of the AGM you need to say how you would make that happen e.g. all members will be given 14 days’ notice in writing, and told the reason for the meeting. General meetings are usually called when the group want to make an alteration to the constitution or close the group down.
Finance
The constitution needs to lay down the basic procedures for handling accounts and state that funds will only be used for group. You will need to open a Bank Account in the name of the group. Funders will only give funds to Bank Accounts in the group’s name.
Dissolution
Dissolution simply means what will happen if your group closes down (dissolves). You need to say that any resources left when the group closes will be given to another community group, possibly with similar aims to yourselves. It is essential to Funders that you have this clause.
How to Write and Adopt Your Constitution
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide:
Helpful Tips
Further Information
Template Constitution – the Charity Commission produces a simple model constitution for a small charity, which is the term they use for Unincorporated Associations. Please note if your annual income is over £5,000, you need to register with the Charity Commission and use a more detailed Constitution. If you want to find out more about different structures, look at our guide to Legal Structures.
Example Constitution – a charity called the Resource Centre has a website just full of excellent resources for small Unincorporated Associations. It includes a sample of a constitution
has a comprehensive section about setting up a voluntary organisation.
Most community groups need to have a bank account in the name of the group. It is important for keeping track of your group’s money and making sure it does not get mixed up with individuals’ money. You also need a bank account in order to apply for grants, and should have one if you are collecting donations or fees.
If your group cannot open a bank account for some reason, or you need a system to use while you wait for your account to be opened, you may want to consider using a fiscal hosting service like the one provided by The Social Change Nest CIC . The Social Change Nest acts like a bank and holds money on behalf of your group. It is designed specifically for community groups who do not have bank accounts, and you can use their online platform to manage your incoming and outgoing money. There is a set up cost of £42 and then a fee of 5% on incoming funds.
How to open an account
Opening a bank account for your community group can take several weeks, or even a few months. Be careful to fill the application form in thoroughly and send all the information that is requested. The bank may still write to ask for further details before opening the account. Before applying for an account, check that:
To open a Club and Society account you will be asked for proof that your group is a voluntary, non-profit-making organisation and not a private business. This is usually your governing document. In the case of a small community group (not registered with Charity Commission or Companies House) this is your Constitution.
Some banks may require other information about your group, such as the minutes of a meeting which records agreement about the specific choice of bank. Make sure you set your account up so that at least two people are required to sign each cheque, or approve withdrawals. If possible, it’s a good idea to have at least three people who are named as ‘signatories’ for the account, any two of whom can sign cheques.
The signatories should be people with good credit ratings (i.e. no ‘bad debts’) as the banks will run credit checks on all the signatories. The bank will ask for their personal details, including date of birth and home addresses for the past three years.
Unless they have an account with that bank already, the signatories will need to provide:
New applicants may also need to provide several months’ worth of personal bank statements, or other proof of their financial situation. Most banks now offer internet banking and the use of debit cards. These are very convenient but do not generally give the security of a cheque payment that requires two signatories. Some banks offer online dual authorisation for bank transfers.
Alternatively, your group could set up an internal system to ensure the account is checked on a regular basis and that all internet and card payments have to be approved by two people.
Further Information
This short guide is adapted from the information sheet Bank Accounts for Community Groups created by Brighton & Hove Social Welfare and Educational Trust Ltd. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Their Information Sheet is regularly updated with details of possible Banks that offer suitable account for community groups.
