Trustees and Governance

Need help with trustees & governance of your organisation?

Visit the Know How Non-Profit pages on Governance and Trustees.

This will help you with:

  • Trustees – What they are, their role, who can be a Trustee, plus template role descriptions for your Treasurer, Chair etc.
  • Governance – What this is and how you can create and change your governing documents
  • Boards – Key facts about, the responsibilities and how to have an effective Board 
  • Chief Executive Officers – What they do, what the relationship should be between the Board & CEO 

Many people ask about the risk of becoming a Trustee. If your group is registered as a charity, you may want to consider trustee indemnity insurance which is taken out by the committee as insurance against personal liability arising from their actions.

You can only do this if your governing document allows it (an amendment to allow this must have the prior consent of the Charity Commission). It does not cover liability arising from an act which the person knew was fraudulent, or a knowing breach of trust.

Russell Cooke Resources

The above solicitors, have a useful document, Risks of becoming a Trustee.  

Another resource you may find useful is a Good Governance for Smaller Organisations Guide. It lists six principles:

1. Understand the Board's role.

2. Doing what the organisaiton was set up to do.

3. Working effectively.

4. Control.

5. Behaving with Integrity. 

6. Openness and accountability.

 Rethinking Risk: Beyond the tick box

The Sayer Vincent team has written a new publication, jointly produced with CFG and available to download for free. As Ian Theodoreson, chair of CFG says in the foreword: “The guide outlines steps to follow to avoid becoming complacent when adopting a formal risk management process across an organisation, and guidance on how trustees and senior managers can develop a clear mechanism for getting assurance on the management of risk. Download here

 

Community Interest Companies (CICs)

Bates Wells Braithwaite, Solicitors, have produced a Governance EBook for CICs to celebrate 10 years of CICs.