Why Good Trustees Still Get Into Trouble – Lessons from Recent Charity Commission Inquiries Details 20 July 2026 For Charities One of my regular tasks is reviewing Charity Commission inquiry reports to identify what today's trustees can learn from yesterday's mistakes. What strikes me is that most investigations do not begin with fraud or financial collapse. They usually start with something much more ordinary – poor governance, weak financial oversight, inadequate record keeping or complaints from members of the public. Recent inquiries continue to highlight the same recurring issues: Failure to appoint or elect trustees correctly. (I’m currently working on such an issue!!) Failure to hold effective trustee meetings. Poor financial management and record keeping. Misuse of charitable funds. Conflicts of interest and related party transactions. Unauthorised trustee benefits. Trustees acting whilst disqualified. False accounting. Failure to manage debt and financial risk. Trustee disputes affecting the charity's ability to operate. None of these should be inevitable. Most are entirely preventable. Read more
Charities are Under Pressure and Trustees Should Not Ignore the Warning Signs Details 06 July 2026 For Charities From time to time I am happy to publish guest blogs from experts in other areas which can be of help to my client. This particular article by Gavin Bates of Smart Business Recovery is one of the best I have read about Charities under pressure and for me is essential reading for all my charity trustee followers. Both of us have the same philosophy that early action can provide more solutions and I commend the article to you. We all know that charities are built around purpose. They help people, support communities, fund research, provide care, protect vulnerable groups and deliver services that often matter deeply to those who rely on them. That makes financial pressure doubly difficult to deal with, but the reality of a tough economy need to be addressed. The value of charities. There are very human stories behind every charity. Staff care about the work. Volunteers give their time because the cause matters. Trustees often feel a strong personal responsibility. Beneficiaries may depend on the service. Donors may have supported the organisation for years. We need them to champion the causes that need our awareness and the people that need our help. They exist because good people have empathy for a worthy cause. However, sadly, empathy does not remove the need for a realistic assessment if things are looking bad financially. A charity may not exist to make private profit, but it must still pay wages, rent, suppliers, utilities, insurance, tax, pension contributions and other operating costs. It still needs enough money to deliver its work safely. It also needs trustees to understand whether the organisation can meet those commitments. In short, the reality is still the reality. If rising costs, falling income, uncertain funding or increasing demand are putting pressure on the organisation, trustees need to face that position early. Read more
Confessions of a Reluctant Networker- Lessons learnt from years of networking, listening and building relationships. Details 30 June 2026 For SMEs I have a confession to make. I used to hate networking.My firm would regularly send me to business events and I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do. Put me in front of 250 people with a lectern, a laptop and a PowerPoint presentation and I wouldn't bat an eyelid. Ask me to walk into a room full of strangers, coffee in hand, and strike up conversations... that was an entirely different challenge.Then I started my own consultancy.It didn't take long to realise that clients don't magically appear because you've got a good website or an active LinkedIn profile. If nobody knows who you are, they're unlikely to buy from you. Reluctantly, I took the plunge and, to my surprise, discovered that I actually enjoyed networking. Not every event, admittedly. Some are excellent. Some are forgettable. And every now and then you wonder whether you'd have achieved more by staying in the office and writing a blog! What I have learnt, though, is that networking is one of the most misunderstood activities in business. “Networking isn't a sales technique; it's simply another way of building relationships.” There isn't a "best" networking group People often ask me which is the best networking organisation. The honest answer is that there isn't one. The best network is simply the one that helps you build relationships with the people who matter to your business. It could be a structured referral organisation, a Chamber of Commerce, a sector-specific group, an informal breakfast meeting or even LinkedIn. It depends on your business, your customers and your personality. Read more