Haven't been able to find what you were looking for on the Small Charity Support website?
Small Charity Support believes that the sector is stronger and more effective when charities collaborate with each other - sharing their strengths and deferring to others when they have more relevant experience and expertise.
So here are some other resources which might also be able to help.
They all have good reputations, but Small Charity Support hasn’t itself tested and verified everything which they have on offer. Similarly, the absence of an organisation from the list DOESN’T mean that it should be avoided – simply that with a large number of organisations offering support & services at a variety of levels it is not practical for us to check and list them all.
For those with an {M} marker your charity has to be a member of the organisation to be able to access some, if not all, of its resources. Those with a {T} marker also offer training courses and workshops for small charities.
The entries are listed alphabetically by name, NOT by “recommendation”.
The first paragraph, in italics, under each resource is what the organisation says about itself, and is taken verbatim from the organisation’s website.
Please remember to read our Legal Notice
Association of Charity Independent Examiners
https://acie.org.uk/
"ACIE is an association of people who carry out IE, providing support and information to its members, charities and other interested parties. Founded in 1999, ACIE are the only professional body whose sole focus is IE. The ACIE provides a regular programme of seminars and conferences aimed at ensuring that Independent Examiners are up to date and conversant with Best Practice."
It is not always realised that the standard accountancy professional qualifications DO NOT include charity accountancy rules and requirements as a mandatory module. That means that not all professional accountants are as knowlegeable and experienced in charity accounts as they, apparently, like to think and claim that they are. For further information, see the Small Charity Support Guidance leaflet, "Choosing an Independent Examiner or Financial Advisor" .
All Ways Network
https://www.awn.org.uk
"Empowering non-profit grassroots working with Muslims in the UK"
AWN and Small Charity Support recognise the complexity of challenges which are faced by many grassroots organisations. AWN and Small Charity Support are committed to working together to develop capacity and capability of small charities within the charity sector - regardless of their religious affiliation, or none - through effective engagement, planning and delivery.
Charities Buying Group
http://www.charitiesbuyinggroup.com/
“The Charities Buying Group is a not for profit community interest company providing a totally FREE range of buying services, You can cut your costs on a wide range of goods and services......”
Charity Commission
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission
WARNING ! Be careful when using internet search engines to look for guidance and other information from the Charity Commission. The internet is a quagmire of old/outdated material which has been superceded but not removed. To make sure that you get the latest versions of guidance material, go to the Charity Commission's own website and search within that. Two of the more useful places on the Commission's website are noted below.
List of Charity Commission 'CC' guidance publications
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/list-of-charity-commission-cc-guidance-publications
"A collection of the Charity Commission's 'CC' detailed guidance publications, from CC3 to CC49."
All the Commission’s own “CC” guidance leaflets in one place. Very useful for finding things quickly if you know roughly what you want. It also helps to alert you to guidance that you didn’t know existed AND helps to avoid out-of-date internet search engines taking you to out-of-date versions of publication.
5-minute guides for charity trustees
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/5-minute-guides-for-charity-trustees
"Refresh your knowledge with the Charity Commission's 5-minutes guides."
The topics covered are:
Conflicts of interest Decisions Finance Purpose Support Safeguarding
Charity Connect {M}
https://www.charityconnect.co.uk/
The online community for UK charity professionals
Work for a UK charity? Sign up for free and ask all of your work-related questions to a committed community of friendly and helpful charity professionals. Share advice, and have fun connecting and helping each other out. {Please note: CharityConnect is not the place to find a new charity job.}
Charity Finance Group {M} {T}
https://cfg.org.uk/resources
“Charity Finance Group (CFG) is the charity that inspires a financially confident, dynamic and trustworthy charity sector. We do this by championing best practice, nurturing leadership and influencing policy makers.”
Information and guidance for charities on a variety of financial matters.
Most are only accessible to members. The membership subscriptions start at £96/yr for small charities (<£250K/yr) (https://cfg.org.uk/charity_membership )
Charity IT Association
https://www.cita.org.uk/
"Supporting charities of all sizes: CITA seeks a world in which all charities can harness the full potential of technology through affordable and independent support and services.
The Charity IT Association (CITA) introduces volunteers with relevant IT skills and experience to charities who want or need to improve their technology capabilities."
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development {M} {T}
https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge
"Access the CIPD's HR-inform site for banks of customisable model documents and policies, checklists, flowcharts and guides."
Seems to have a wide variety of management materials, though probably focused more on the commercial sector than the charity sector.
Connection Coalition
https://www.connectioncoalition.org.uk/
"The Connection Coalition was formed in April 2020 as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Anticipating that the nation was a risk of a crisis of disconnection - and a worsening epidemic of loneliness and social isolation - we created a platform for organisations across the country to work collectively to ensure that communities and the country emerges from Covid-19 ready to build and strengthen social relationships."
Fraud Advisory Panel {M} {T}
https://www.fraudadvisorypanel.org/
"The Fraud Advisory Panel is the respected, influential and independent voice of the anti-fraud community. We are a registered charity and membership organisation."
Fraud Advisory Panel is pleased to issue a joint position statement on preventing fraud on social media in collaboration with a number of our trusted partners.
Toward the end of our COVID-19 Fraud Watch Group in September 2020 it became evident that there was a common concern about the misuse of social media platforms to perpetrate fraud. Social media has featured in at least 61,000 crime reports to Action Fraud in 2020-2021, with losses of more than £120m. Our joint position statement sets out five recommendations for consideration by government to stop fraud on social media.
Click HERE to download the Joint Position Statement
Preventing Charity Fraud
https://preventcharityfraud.org.uk/about/
"Our one-stop-shop has information on how to prevent, detect and respond to fraud committed against charities and not-for-profits. Become a Supporter. We are stronger when we work together to prevent charity fraud. Contact us to become a supporter."
A website created by the Fraud Advisory Panel to provide practical guidance and information on preventing the fraudulent use of charitable money and other resources.
Gloucestershire Rural Community Council
http://www.grcc.org.uk/publications/templates
"GRCC is an independent, Charitable Company, limited by guarantee. We are committed to strengthening and working with Gloucestershire’s communities, providing them with professional advice and support and representing them at local and national level to make sure they are heard."
As it's website indicates, Gloucestershire Rural Community Council is set up primarily to support charities and community groups in its own area. But the "Templates" page on its website has some really useful downloadable example policies and procedures templates.
LawWorks
https://www.lawworks.org.uk/legal-advice-not-profits
"The Not-for-Profits Programme brokers legal advice to small not-for-profit organisations on a wide range of legal issues, to support the continuation and expansion of their services to people in need. The advice is given for free (pro bono)."
National Cyber Security Centre
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance
“The NCSC was set up to help protect our critical services from cyber attacks, manage major incidents, and improve the underlying security of the UK Internet through technological improvement and advice to citizens and organisations.”
FREE downloadable information & guidance on IT security, including for “small” charities.
NCVO {M} {T}
https://www.ncvo.org.uk/
“We champion the voluntary sector by connecting, representing and supporting voluntary organisations. We work to help voluntary organisations and volunteers make the biggest difference they can.”
The NCVO, is an umbrella organisation for charities of all sizes. To access its resources your charity needs to be a member. Membership for charities with an annual income less than £30,000 is FREE. For charities with incomes above £30,000 see the NCVO’s membership website.
NCVO Know-How Non-Profit {M} {T}
https://knowhownonprofit.org/
“Good advice, shared. Knowledge and e-learning for charities, social enterprises and community groups.”
A division of the NCVO, the “KnowHow-NonProfit” website publishes guidance leaflets and templates on a wide variety of charity issues. But you have to be a member of the NCVO (see above) to access them.
NCVO Trusted Suppliers {M}
https://www.ncvo.org.uk/practical-support/trusted-suppliers/
“Trusted Suppliers provide specialist products and services that can save your organisation time and money. We've done the hard work sourcing these expert suppliers so you can remain totally focused on your vital work.”
Pro Bono Economics
https://www.probonoeconomics.com/what-is-pbe
"Pro Bono Economics uses economics to empower the social sector and to increase wellbeing across the UK. We combine project work with individual charities and social enterprises with policy research that can drive systemic change. Our vision is for a United Kingdom with high wellbeing for all.
The services PBE provides to small-to-mid-sized charities help them measure, understand and better articulate their impact, influence and inform policy and make best use of their data. Volunteer economists from across government, regulators and the private sector work in partnership with PBE to provide these services to charities on a pro bono basis."
Resource Centre {M}
https://www.resourcecentre.org.uk/
"A really useful place for community groups"
Based in Brighton, many of its services are available only to charity & community groups in Sussex. But its website also has lots of materials which may be more widely useful.
Sayer Vincent
https://www.sayervincent.co.uk/resources/publications/
“Sayer Vincent is an award-winning firm of chartered accountants with a clear focus on charities and social enterprises.”
Has a range of publications, some as purchasable books others as FREE downloadable PDFs, on charity finance issues. The sub-section, “Made Simple Guides” is worth a look – they are mostly FREE downloadable PDFs.
Statisticians for Society
https://rss.org.uk/membership/volunteering-and-promoting/statisticians-for-society-initiative/
"Statisticians for Society is a pro bono scheme that connects professional statisticians and charitable organisations. Originally launched as a pilot project in 2017, the scheme has become an effective way for organisations to receive support from statistical experts at no cost."
WCVA {Welsh Council for Voluntary Action}{M}
https://wcva.cymru/
"As the national memership body for voluntary organisations in Wales, WCVA exists to enable voluntary organisations to make a bigger difference together. Our resources bank for the voluntary sector in Wales contains useful 'how to' guides as well as tookkits, information, guidance and publications."
A great website with loads of resources - and easy to navigate, too. And the website doesn't seem to mind Small Charity Support downloading some of its resources, even though we're not based in Wales.
W.Yorkshire Community Accounting {M} {T}
https://www.wycas.org.uk/help-advice/
"West Yorkshire Community Accounting Service (WYCAS) supports organisations to manage their finances more effectively and efficiently. Our specialist and highly knowledgeable team offer you training, support and tailored services to help you to better manage your finances and meet the various regulatory requirements allowing you to focus on delivering your services."
WYCAS services are mostly focused on supporting charities and NfP organisations in its local W.Yorkshire area.
But its website has an excellent range of FREE downloadable guidance. In particular, the "Tools" section of its "Help & Advice" page has some useful simple spreadsheets for managing small charity finances.