CO3 has produced a range of Good Practice Guides to assist third sector chief officers. For information on how to obtain a copy, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Toolkit for Managing Change (2010) Dr Roger Courtney

An useful and practical 80 page guide to support any chief officer to lead change in their organisation.  In an attractive, colourful and accessible format, this publication guides the reader through technigues to undertake corporate and operational planning as well as a number of technigues for implementing change and supporting staff and board members through a change process. The toolkit also includes a number of case studies and examples from Britiain and Ireland.

Essential reading for anyone leading a third sector organisation! £15 to CO3 members including P&P. £20 to all others.Discounts for bulk purchases.

Guide to Mentoring 

This second edition “A Guide for the 'Inspiring Leaders' Mentoring Programme", published in 2009, has been updated and has been highly acclaimed as an essential guide to establishing mentoring within your organisation.  Drawing from a pilot project, Mentoring to Achieve Potential, this guide includes tips for successful mentoring and some useful templates to support mentoring. £15 to CO3 members including P7P.  £20 to all others.  Discounts available for bulk purchases.

The following guides are free to CO3 members.

Risk Assessment Good Practice Guide

This provides the reader with a very practical approach to conducting a Risk Assessment of the organisation, setting up a ‘risk register’, and provides sample risk management statements which SORP requires in the Trustee Report. Often seen as purely a financial consideration, this guide demonstrates the importance of involving all key decision makers and stakeholders in the process of Risk Management.  This comprehensive guide for CO3 members was written by Danielle Traynor, from BDO Stoy Hayward.

Revenue Diversification Good Practice Guide

With the ever-increasing competition for funding, organisations need to become more dynamic and innovative in generating income.  In this Guide, John Pepin (Pepin & Associates) explains the leading edge concepts of venture philanthropy, commercial ventures and venture capital for charities and non-profit organisations. The guide demonstrates how the reader can develop saleable ‘products’ and provides tips on how best to approach those in the corporate sector for funding these products, while remaining true to the core values and mission of the organisation.

“As a result of embarking on this change to venture philanthropy and business development, charity trustees, staff and other stakeholders will experience innovation, discovery and adventure.’’

Managing Love and Hate in Organisations: Applying a Human Relations Model to Management and Leadership

Published in November 2004.  Written by CO3 member, Dr Raman Kapur, this publication is an effective guide to managing difficult relationships in organisations and of undertaking an ‘inside out’, deeper analysis of conflicts and how to resolve these.

Employment Guide. From Recruitment to Selection and Everything in Between

Written by employment expert, Jim McCabe of Evolution, this guide is designed to provide employers with practical advice and assistance in relation to best practice in human resource matters and encapsulates recent legislative changes in managing discipline.  The guide includes Recruitment and Selection, Induction, Contracts of Employment, Managing Sickness Absence, Taking Disciplinary Action and Redundancy.