Guidance

Charity Commission guidance

Guidance to help you set up and run your charity.

• From: The Charity Commission
• Published: 11 September 2019
• Last updated: 27 September 2023 — See all updates

Applies to England and Wales

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Search all of the Charity Commission’s guidance

‘5-minute guides’ for charity trustees

Short guidance on the basics all trustees need to know:

• Charity purposes and rules
• Making decisions at a charity
• Managing charity finances
• Managing conflicts of interest in a charity
• What to send to the Charity Commission and how to get help
• Safeguarding for charities and trustees
• Political activity and campaigning by charities

Guidance by topic

Search guidance for charities by topic:

• Charity boards and governance
• Trustees, staff and volunteers
• Money, assets and property
• Your charity’s activities
• Fundraising
• Accounts, financial reporting and tax
• Setting up or closing a charity

Published 11 September 2019

Last updated 27 September 2023 + show all updates

1. 27 September 2023

   Links to collection pages updated to help users find guidance by topic.

2. 2 November 2020

   Page updated to add links to 5 new '5-minute guides'. The guides cover: charity purposes and rules, making decisions, managing charity finances, managing conflicts of interest and what to send to the Charity Commission.

3. 11 September 2019

   First published.