Good governance is at the heart of every strong and effective charity. Whether you are new to being a trustee or have years of experience, The Essential Trustee is the Charity Commission’s main guide to the legal duties and responsibilities of charity trustees in England and Wales.
A strong and effective board needs the right mix of people, skills, and experience. The Charity Commission's Trustee Board: People and Skills guidance helps charities review their board's strengths, identify any skills gaps, recruit well, and plan ahead.
At Salford CVS, we encourage VCSE organisations to use this guidance when recruiting trustees, assessing how well their board works, and building a diverse, resilient board that supports good decision-making and strong governance.
Why has this guidance been updated?
The Charity Governance Code is a useful guide to help charities and their boards reach strong standards of governance. It covers topics like organisational purpose, leadership, integrity, decision-making, diversity, equality and inclusion, board effectiveness, and accountability. No matter your organisation's size, the Code offers a framework for ongoing improvement.
Who is the advice for – this advice is primarily for community groups and small charities if you are big enough to have a finance officer you probably have your own procedures and set amounts already and maybe even a credit or debit card for the organisation.
A banking mandate is the document that tells the bank who can access your charity’s account, what they are allowed to do, and how payments must be approved. For example, your charity might require two people to approve any payment, so the money is kept safe.
This is advice for not-for-profit groups, considering becoming a small community group if you are considering becoming a company or sole trader, this advice is not for you.
The constitution is the legal framework for managing a group. There are good reasons for this - it will allow you to apply for funds, it sets up a legal framework for responsibility and decision-making and gives you the opportunity to be clear about what your objectives are.
You do not legally have to become constituted, however there are many things un-constituted groups cannot do.
This factsheet provides guidance for charity trustees on meeting frequency, oversight responsibilities, and governance risks, particularly for charities delivering services to children, families or adults at risk. It is designed to support Boards in understanding their legal duties and identifying areas where improvements may be required.
Beatty, Development Worker at Salford CVS has written a comprehensive blog on how to deal with complaints: https://www.salfordcvs.co.uk/blogs
Please have a look at our Factsheet of legal structures of organisations:
Now is the time to stand together, with courage, solidarity, and a shared commitment to real change.