5 Free and Pro Bono Services and Resources for Charities

Are you a charity or non-profit looking for free management resources and pro bono services to help with your charity’s marketing, business planning, governance, fundraising, legal advice, or financial planning? 

Then you’re on the right page.

We’ve compiled a list of some of the most useful free management resources and pro bono services for charities. These are great tools to help you manage everything from writing your charity’s business plan, forecasting and scenario planning, developing performance tools and systems, leadership development and mentoring, as well as getting trusted, independent advice and guidance from professionals in the field.

Charity work is one of the most selfless jobs out there, but it's not without its stresses. Free management resources exist to provide charity leaders with tools to run their organisation effectively. Non-profit leaders can take advantage of free management tools to organise their non-profit and manage daily tasks, improve processes, trustee recruitment efforts, build brand identity for better fundraising, and so much more.

If you’re running a charity and looking to get help to grow your management capacity, improve efficiency, or develop your services and programmes of work, there are hundreds of organisations across the UK that offer free and pro bono help to charities. In this article, we’ll explain the best places to find free and pro bono services for charities. You can use these free resources to improve all aspects of your charity, such as your governance, business planning, marketing, and finance—all while saving money.

There are many great charities and non-profit organisations who operate with limited budgets. And even established charities can benefit from some professional help from outside the charity from time to time.

Here are five of the go-to free and pro bono services available for charities.

1. Cranfield Trust

Cranfield Trust is the leading provider of pro bono consultancy and management support for charities in the UK. Their network of highly skilled volunteer consultants and advisers helps charities succeed and thrive by offering mentoring, management consultancy, peer support, advice, free charity webinars and free charity resources.

They help to build resilient and sustainable charities using their Journey to Excellence framework, offering free and pro bono support in four key management areas: Leadership and Strategic Direction, People Management, Financial Management and Sustainability, and Performance and Impact.  

2. Law Works

LawWorks is a charity working in England and Wales to connect volunteer lawyers with people in need of legal advice, who are not eligible for legal aid and cannot afford to pay, and with the not-for-profit organisations that support them.

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. They give the advice for free (pro bono).

3. Media Trust

Media Trust works in partnership with the media and creative industry to give marginalised groups and young people a stronger voice. They encourage the media and creative industry to share their time, knowledge and creativity to benefit charities, under-represented communities and young people.

Working together, they amplify charities’ voices by developing their communication and digital skills to help them connect better with their audiences. They also create and run unique programmes to encourage young, diverse talent to develop their confidence, passions and talents for the workplace.

4. Pro Bono Economics

Pro Bono Economics uses economics to empower the social sector and to increase wellbeing across the UK. They combine project work with individual charities and social enterprises with policy research that can drive systemic change. 

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 the 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. 

5. Chartered Institute of Fundraising

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising is the professional membership body for UK fundraising. They support fundraisers through professional development and education. Whether you’re looking to keep up to date on the latest trends in fundraising, get new fundraising ideas or get to grips with the basics, their resources for small charities are a great place to start.

Supported by the National Lottery Community Fund, it brings together helpful fundraising guides, resources and training opportunities for small charities and community groups, from both the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, and other sector bodies. 

Finding free management resources is something that all charities should keep in mind, especially ones that are just starting out. With these free management resources and pro bono services for charities, your organisation will be well on its way to providing essential support for your community. Incorporating these resources into your charity ensures that you will run an efficient and effective charity, deliver on your mission, and support as many of your beneficiaries as possible.

Best of luck!