On this page you will find information about charities, charity trusteeship and board-level volunteering, including national news stories, journal articles, useful web and print publications and links to appointments sites.
On this page
On other pages
Latest charity governance news
Updated 15 March 2010
Trustees' expenses
The independent expert group on expenses says that charities should make sure they have sound expenses policies for their staff and the Charity Commission should make sure charities comply with the accounting Statement of Recommended Practice on publishing the expenses of trustees.
New Charity Commission guide
The Charity Commission has published a guide to help trustees with learning disabilities understand their role.
Chairs need feedback
An article on the report What makes chairs of governing bodies effective, commissioned by NCVO and the Charity Trustee Network.
Trustee expenses
The Independent Expert Group on Expenses has recommended that charities should not be required to publish the expenses of their staff or individual trustees because there is insufficient evidence to justify a "wholesale expansion of expenses disclosure" in the sector.
Decision-making by the board
There is a need to be aware that the law is clear that all trustees are equal and that it is the board collectively that has decision-making authority, not just the chair.
Board composition
Proposals by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator for change at the Shetland Charitable Trust have met with strong objections from the trustees.
What makes a good chair?
Successful chairs are defined more by good interpersonal skills than technical abilities or inspirational qualities, according to new research.
Not-for-profit effectiveness
A podcast in which a respected panel discuss issues around the identity of the not-for-profit world and the challenges ahead.
Charities and elections
In one of a series of pieces giving legal advice to the voluntary sector, Rosamund McCarthy, partner at Bates Wells and Braithwaite solicitors, answers questions on charities and elections.
Charitable or not charitable?
Figures released after a request made under the Freedom of Information Act show a steady decline in the number of applicant organisations deemed by the Charity Commission not to have exclusively charitable aims, purposes and activities.
Technological awareness
There is virtually no charitable organisation that does not rely heavily on its IT systems and support. Yet technical experience and knowledge are rarely mentioned in trustee skills audits.
Back to top
Journal articles
An article about the experiences of new charity board members with no previous charity experience.
governance, a subscription title, is a resource for charity trustees and offers on its website a free archive of articles from previous issues.
An article about the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).
Back to top
Useful publications
Charity commission resources
Guidance, toolkits and research from the Charity Commission on collaborative working and mergers.
Being a trustee. (Easy read)
Faith in Good Governance.
Trustee Responsibilities.
The essential trustee: what you need to know.
Trustee expenses and payments
The Hallmarks of an Effective Charity.
Big Board Talk: the conversation all charities need to have urges charity boards to ask themselves 15 key questions about how well placed they are to cope during the recession. It has been published by The Charity Commission (CC) and the Confederation of British Industry.
New guidance on what constitutes a serious incident and how charities should report them.
Back to top
Other resources
What makes chairs of governing bodies effective presents the results of an online survey of board chairs, chief executives, board members and staff, which collected data on perceptions of the chair leadership role, including the quality of the chair’s relationships (with management, the board, and stakeholders), chair impact, and the influences on chair leadership.
The little blue book is New Philanthropy Capital's concise and practical guide to analysing charities, for charities and funders.
NCVO’s Trustee and Governance Information Centre provides information on a range of subjects relating to third sector governance and trusteeship, ranging from the role of the trustee to changing a governing document.
A revised version of the operating agreement between the Government and third-sector bodies has been published.
Charity and social enterprise law update: Autumn 2009 from Bates Wells & Braithwaite.
Governance Now: the hidden challenge of leadership is published by the Cultural Leadership Programme and focuses on governance in the cultural and creative sector.
Summary of responses received to the joint consultation The Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO): Consultation on the new corporate form for charities, published by the Office of the Third Sector and the Charity Commission.
The Auditing Practices Board (APB) has issued Bulletin 2009/3 which updates the example charity auditor’s reports in Bulletin 2009/1 for the effect of the Companies Act 2006.
A handy guide to the duties of charity trustees from Bates Wells & Braithwaite.
Giving Insights, published by New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), contains articles about charities and trusteeship.
Finance at the crossroads: the changing role of finance in government and the public sector is published by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
The report Boards, Governance and Leadership of the Third Sector: Scotland Study finds that although the boards of Scottish Third Sector organisations are performing relatively well, there are some areas for improvement.
What place for mergers between charities? looks at whether mergers can contribute to a more effective charity sector in the UK and is published by New Philanthropy Capital (NPC).
Board matters, published by New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), reviews charity trusteeship in the UK.
Back to top
Useful links
Charity Commission
The Charity Commission is established by law as the regulator and registrar for all charities in England and Wales. The Publications & Guidance section of the website contains information about charity law, recommended best practice, the duties of charity trustees, and the Charity Commission's role as a charity regulator.
Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
The Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 has created (June 2009) a new body, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. It will establish a compulsory charity register of all charities operating in Northern Ireland.
Charity Trustee Networks (CTN)
CTN is the national charity for trustees and was set up to promote the effectiveness of charities by improving their governance through the establishment of trustee networks. The website includes resources on all aspects of trusteeship and offers Trusteenet where you can search for a trustee or management committee vacancy anywhere in the UK. .
Governance pages
This website is being developed by the Association for Research in the Voluntary and Community Sector, (ARVAC) and aims to provide accessible information on governance aimed at committee members of small voluntary organisations. Includes quick guides, frequently asked questions and sample documents.
National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
The Trustee and Governance Information Centre provides an extensive range of information and guidance on governance and the role and duties of trustees. The content from the National Governance Hub for England site is now located on the NCVO site.
Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR)
The independent regulator and registrar for Scottish charities, regulating over 23,300 Scottish charities including community groups, religious charities, schools, universities, grant giving charities and major care providers.
The Third Sector Leadership Centre
Set up by the UK Workforce Hub, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and the Association of Chief Executives in Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) to support leaders in the third sector and help them develop. Provides information on the latest developments in leadership and access to leadership related articles and press releases. Registration (free) is required.
Charity trustee appointments
Arts & Business
A charity helping business people to support and engage with the arts. Provides a board bank which recruits and provides access to senior-level managers to serve as non-executive directors on arts organisations' boards.
City Women's Network (CWN)
A network of senior women executives working in London and the surrounding area. Their aims include 'encouraging more women to become directors, to take on public appointments and to become trustees.'
CTN - the trustee network
The web-based service of the Charity Trustee Networks allows trustees to share their knowledge and experience. Trustee vacancies can be searched or posted on 'Trusteefinder' and there are signposts to information and services.
do-it.org.uk
The UK's only national volunteering database with over 1,000,000 volunteering opportunities, including a trustee category.
Get on Board
The campaign to raise the profile of trusteeship and attract a new generation of trustees, promoted by the former Governance Hub, the Charity Commission and Volunteering England.
Getting on Board
Aims to strengthen the governance of charities, schools and public bodies, encouraging employers to support their employees to volunteer as board members. It is a registered charity and offers a brokerage service, tailored to the competencies and interests of each individual.
Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW)
The ICAEW includes in its directory of jobs for accountants a section on the not for profit sector. This gives details of non-executive and volunteer trustee posts.
National Housing Federation (NHF)
NHF aims to support and promote the work of housing associations and campaign for better housing. Offers the Get on Board scheme which aims at matching skilled and experienced candidates to board vacancies withing housing associations.
NCVO – Governance and Leadership (incorporating The Governance Hub)
The present site includes a range of practical guidance for small and larger organisations, a code of practice and case studies.
NCVO - Trustee Bank
A trustee recruitment source for voluntary organisations. The webpages contain an extensive range of resources on all aspects of trusteeship. They also provide a directory of brokerage services and a situations vacant page listing a selection of current trustee vacancies.
REACH
Recruits people with managerial, technical and professional expertise and places them in part-time, unpaid roles, including trusteeship, in organisations that need their help.
School Governors' One Stop Shop (SGOSS)
Recruits volunteers to become governors in schools across England. Its services are free to local authorities, volunteers, employers and schools.
TimeBank
A national charity inspiring and connecting a new generation of people to volunteer in their communities, and enabling charitable organisations and businesses to develop innovative and effective volunteer recruitment programmes. Includes trustee volunteering.
Trustees Unlimited
A joint venture between Bates Wells & Braithwaite, NCVO and Russam GMS. It aims to broker the relationship between high quality trustee candidates and organisations.
Back to top