Our Purpose
At NCVO, we champion the voluntary sector and volunteering, working to build a stronger, more connected society. Charities and volunteers are vital to communities across the UK, providing essential services that make a real difference in people’s lives.
We unite and amplify the voices of charities and volunteers, helping them overcome challenges and thrive. As we move forward, we are embarking on the development of a new organisational strategy, positioning ourselves to maximise new opportunities and navigate the challenges ahead. After a period of unprecedented change for charities, NCVO is committed to ensuring the voluntary sector remains resilient, innovative, and ready to meet the future needs of communities.
Together, we’re creating a society where charities and volunteers can reach their full potential, making a lasting impact on communities across the UK.
Our Values
Our values guide everything we do at NCVO. They inform our decisions, shape our actions, and ensure that we stay focused on making a meaningful difference. As part of the development of our new organisational strategy, we will be reviewing these values to ensure they continue to reflect and support our work – but we will always be led by the same commitment to openness, ambition, collaboration, and inclusion.
Openness: We are transparent about how we work and the decisions we make, sharing our learning along the way.
Ambition: We are bold in our goals, striving to make a bigger difference for charities, volunteers, and communities.
Collaboration: We believe in the power of working together to create lasting change. We work with our members, partners, and communities to ensure everyone has a voice.
Inclusion: We ensure that all voices are heard, bringing diverse experiences and perspectives to shape our work.
Our Strategy
Our current strategy is built on four key pillars:
Support: We provide practical tools and resources to help charities and volunteers succeed in their work.
Amplify: We speak up for charities and volunteers, ensuring their voices are heard by decision-makers and the public.
Connect: We build networks and partnerships that foster collaboration and shared learning across the sector.
Evolve: We continually adapt our approach to meet the changing needs of our members and the voluntary sector as a whole.
As we develop our new organisational strategy, we also need to ensure that NCVO remains responsive to the evolving needs of the sector, prepared to tackle new challenges and create lasting opportunities.
This year, we will continue to focus on forging new relationships, both inside and outside of our sector, and reshaping NCVO’s future, ensuring that our members have the tools, support, and environment they need to thrive.
NCVO’s Trustee Board
NCVO is governed by a board of trustees, which comprises:
- The Chair
- The Treasurer
- Up to seven elected trustees
- Four appointed trustees.
The trustee board appoints a vice Chair from among the trustees.
The Charities Act 2011 defines charity trustees as those responsible under the charity’s governing document for controlling the administration and management of the charity. The role of the trustee board is to receive assets from donors, safeguard them and apply them to the charitable purposes of NCVO. The trustee board must always act in the best interests of NCVO, exercising the same standard of duty of care that a prudent person would apply if looking after the affairs of someone for whom they have responsibility. The trustee board must act as a group and not as individuals.
In addition to being a registered charity, NCVO is a company limited by guarantee, and NCVO’s trustees are registered as directors at Companies House.