Every organisation needs to be supported by a sound management structure in order to deliver an effective service in an efficient manner.
Charities can be constituted in various forms, from unincorporated trusts to companies limited by guarantee under company law (like the Griffin Institute) or Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) under charity law. For all these charities, the reality is that the board of trustees, who are ultimately responsible for the strategic vision, direction and service delivery of the entity, are often remote from the day to day management activity carried out by the executive team. Nevertheless, the trustee board has ultimate responsibility for the governance of the charity, for safeguarding its assets and hence for its general well-being. It is extremely important that trustees are fully aware of their responsibilities and understand the steps they need to take to ensure that their charity is properly governed. This is particularly relevant in times of change and with the financial constraints and uncertainties that many charities face.
A governance review is an opportunity to reflect on a charity’s governance arrangements.
For example, a review might update a charity’s governance arrangements to account for changes in the organisation’s size. A review is also a useful means of ensuring trustees keep up with latest best practice or changes in the law.
It is good practice for trustees to carry out some form of governance review annually on their own and with external assistance every 3 to 5 years.
We can assist the Board of Trustees to agree the framework for a Governance Review that best suits the charity or NFP and we can manage the review on behalf of the Trustees making appropriate recommendations.
As part of this we would recommend the implementation of a Trustee Manual.