The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) has published a library of free online short courses for Australian registered charities and not-for-profits.

The Governing Charities online learning program contains self-paced courses designed to support accountability and leadership to benefit those on a board, committee or in any other leadership role within a charity.

Users will be granted certificates upon completion of the courses, which take up to two hours each to complete.

Courses include:

• Becoming a Charity Board Member: What You Should Know
• How to Become an ACNC Registered Charity
• The ACNC: How We Help You
• Governing a Registered Charity in Australia
• Governance Standards Part A: Introduction and Governance Standards 1-3
• Governance Standards Part B: Governance Standards 4-6 and Winding Up
• External Conduct Standards
• Reporting Obligations of Your Charity Part A: Overview and Basic Financial Skills.

The courses cover a variety of topics including:

• board member duties
• financial reporting
• conflicts of interest
• complaint and dispute management
• reporting obligations, and more.

If you have any questions on governance in charitable organisations, please contact us on 03 5443 0344.