This section contains advice and guidance for trustees, committee members and anyone involved in the governance of a voluntary or community organisation.
Below you’ll find our Information Sheets, links to useful external guidance, and our Sector News section, which features the latest updates relevant to charity trustees.
Contact us for more in-depth support.
Trustee Training: Roles & Responsibilities
We run a quarterly, free training session on Trustee Roles & Responsibilities, designed to help both new and experienced trustees feel confident in their governance role. You can view and book upcoming sessions in our training calendar.
This friendly, informal 2‑hour session covers:
- The key roles and legal responsibilities of charity trustees
- Principles of good governance
- How to run an effective board
- Managing risk, conflicts of interest and compliance
- Practical examples, discussion and problem‑solving activities
The session includes interactive exercises, real‑world scenarios, and plenty of opportunity to ask questions and share experiences.
Training takes place at VODA’s office in Wallsend and is suitable for individuals considering their first trusteeship, as well as full boards who want to upskill together.
Free Online Training for Trustees
Trustees can also access free introductory online training through VODA’s Elements Portal. These short courses are ideal for new trustees, people considering being a trustee, or anyone wanting to build confidence in their governance role.
Courses include:
- Introduction to the Roles of Chair, Secretary and Treasurer
- Introduction to Setting up a Charity
- Getting to Grips with Your Charity Governing Document
- Good Fundraising: Success with Grant Applications
- Good Governance
Additional topics include safeguarding, inclusive volunteering, climate change, cyber security and volunteers and the law, with more courses added regularly. You can access all of these courses via the Elements Training Portal.
VODA Advice Guides
Useful Resources
- Getting Onboard: How to diversify your Charity’s board
- Young Trustees Movement: Getting young people onto your Trustee board
- The essential trustee: what you need to know, what you need to do
- Getting Onboard: How to become a Charity Trustee
- Charity governance, finance and resilience: 15 questions trustees should ask
- Infographic: 15 questions trustees should ask
- Making digital work: 12 questions for trustees to consider
- The Chair’s role in building a positive working culture
- Get help for your inactive or ineffective charity
- Charity Commission ‘CC’ guidance publications
Useful Online Videos
5-Minute Guides for Charity Trustees
Explore the Charity Commission’s ‘5-minute guides’ for charity trustees featuring short guidance on the basics all trustees need to know:
Sector News
The voluntary and community sector is at the heart of healthier, more connected communities. In this new blog, Birju Bartoli, Chief Executive of Northumbria NHS Foundation Trust, shares how local charities and groups are helping tackle inequalities, inspire young people, and support local jobs. These partnerships show the power of working together to create lasting […]
The latest research from the Third Sector Trends report show a clear challenge for the voluntary and community sector. Small charities are seeing the biggest drops in trustee and volunteer numbers. Organisations working with very limited budgets now face real risks to governance, service delivery and long-term stability. While larger charities may be seeing some recovery, […]
The first report of Third Sector Trends 2025, facilitated and co-funded by Community Foundation North East, shows important shifts in how voluntary and community organisations work together and with the public sector. Key concerns include a drop in formal partnership working (now at 27.6%) and a reduced sense of being informed or involved by the […]
In this edition of the Governance Blog, we’re reminding VCSE organisations that the new Code of Fundraising Practice will come into effect on 1 November 2025. The Fundraising Regulator has published a revised version of the Code, designed to be clearer, more concise, and easier to navigate. It reflects a more modern and adaptable approach to fundraising standards and is significantly shorter […]
As we head into summer, we wanted to spread a short, good news story in this issue of our governance blog! The Interim Chair of the Charity Commission, Mark Simms OBE, has recently released a statement on the Charity Commission Blog to say a big “Thank You” to all the trustees and other volunteers across […]
