Our Governance and Charity Advice Team has produced these essential guides to good governance, covering everything from setting up a group and achieving charitable status to best practice on committees.
New ID verification requirements for company directors
10 October, 2025Last modified5 February, 2026The new legal requirement that all company directors must complete ID verification with Companies House will take effect from 18 November 2025. This includes directors of charitable companies.
Basic finance tutorial videos
22 February, 2022Last modified6 January, 2026NICVA has developed a series of tutorial videos to help treasurers and trustees of small to medium sized voluntary led organisations understand the basics of financial record keeping and good financial governance.
Reserves policy guidance
19 January, 2021Last modified5 March, 2026A reserves policy helps trustees to justify holding appropriate levels of financial reserves to protect against future uncertainties. It is something which various stakeholders may be interested in viewing from time to time.
Developing a governance planning calendar
20 June, 2019Last modified5 March, 2026Creating a governance calendar is a very practical and effective way for organisations to develop their own planning framework to help them identify their key governance events and requirements throughout the course of a year.
People with significant control - PSC
4 July, 2016Last modified4 February, 2026From 18 November 2025 companies are no longer required to keep a Register of individuals or legal entities that have control over them, known as ‘people with significant control (PSC)’ and ‘relevant legal entities (RLEs)’. Companies are however still required to register this information with Companies House and keep it up to date.
Charity Trustees’ Duties
1 July, 2014Last modified5 March, 2026This article outlines what a charity trustee is and what they are responsible for.
Committee Procedures
25 June, 2014Last modified5 March, 2026This guidance is designed to help committees of small voluntary and community groups understand their basic responsibilities. It describes procedures which can help committees to prevent problems occurring.
Charitable Status
14 April, 2014Last modified4 March, 2026This article will answer the key question - how do I get charitable status for my organisation?
Accounting regulations for charities
1 January, 2014Last modified5 March, 2026This article gives advice on the current accounting requirements for charities in Northern Ireland.
Insurance
1 August, 2013Last modified10 December, 2024This is a general guide to insurance. It uses detailed explanations to highlight different types of insurance policies and includes real life examples to give an overview of all policies. There is also information on risk assessment.