elliot@strategyandgovernance.co.uk
07896 894 711
When I read a set of charity accounts, believe it or not, I read the Trustees' report first and don't just look at the figures. Most of the time, but not always, there will be a small paragraph telling me that the trustees have either undergone some formal training or, more often than not, have undergone some sort of induction process.
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Being a charity trustee is a role imbued with both profound responsibility and immense reward. Trustees hold a unique position of influence, steering the Charity towards their goals while ensuring robust organisational health.
It is my practice to monitor Charity Commission reports on their investigations to see if there are any lessons to be learned.
Most inquiries are started either by a lack of reporting or a direct complaint from the public and the last three months alone confirm this.
I'm often asked by client’s what skills should their board of trustees have, and the honest answer is “it depends!
The guidance from the Charity Commission is not specific as there is no prescribed list of skills that a charity needs. The nearest that the Charity Commission gets to advising a charity in this area is telling them to create a job specification for the trustees and specifying what skills they are looking to recruit.
In a world of social impact and community engagement, the choice of legal structure can significantly shape path of an organisation.
Among the array of options available, Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) and Community Interest Companies (CICs) stand out as popular choices. Both offer advantages and disadvantages, compelling founders to carefully consider their mission, governance, and long-term sustainability and which is the best fit.
I've been approached on several occasions about setting up a new charity for a client. It can be for several reasons:
In a world where more and more charities are competing for funding from a pot that seems to be shrinking then the option of cooperation if not merger is coming more to the forefront of charity thinking.
Good Governance is fundamental to the well-being of any charity and its beneficiaries and yet it is far too often that failures in this area lead to failures in charities generally.
Readers of my blogs will know that I am very keen on keeping myself up to date. As a result, I have recently being undertaking some training in the digital world and found myself at a conference in Derby which covered the subject.
Issues around Safeguarding have sadly been front page news on many of our newspapers as reports continue to emerge about issues involving charities of all sizes and as a result, enquiries have been undertaken by the Charity Commission and reports published which do not make happy reading.
Recently, I responded to an article on LinkedIn about why trustees can be so rubbish at finances and this was my reply
"One of the main things that many trustees forget is that under Charity Law,they are equally responsible for all aspects of a charity's work whether they like it or not. Whether it is finance, safeguarding, risk, health and safety etc they share responsibility.
Smaller charities are often faced with a conundrum of restricted funds which are no longer usable as the project has finished or the need has disappeared. However the Charities Act 2022 has given at least some good news on that front.
They have introduced 4 new circumstances where the funds can be used:
Have any questions or want to find out more?
Call Elliot Harris on 07896 894 711 or email elliot@strategyandgovernance.co.uk.
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