Welcome to Trustees’ Week 2024

An opportunity for the sector to come together, acknowledge the contribution of our trustees and take advantage of a wide range of events, training and guidance.

Trustees’ Week is an annual event held in the first week of November. This year, it runs from November 4th to 8th.

Trustees’ Week is a time to celebrate the dedication and achievement of nearly one million trustees, and the vital skills and support they provide to their charities. Trustees are given the opportunity to share their personal experiences and perspectives gained working with their charities and can use this time to refresh their current knowledge through a range of events and guidance.

What are you planning?

Here are some suggestions:

• Refresh your knowledge with the Charity Commission’s “5-minute guides for trustees”. These are designed to help trustees to fulfil their roles as best they can. Topics include managing finances, delivering charitable purposes, making decisions, conflicts of interest, safeguarding, political campaigning and Charity Commission’s filing requirements.
• After reading the 5-minute guides, why not test your knowledge with the Charity Commission’s latest Charity Trustee Quiz. A bit of fun that will also highlight any areas you may need to read up on further.
• Reach out to another charity in your area to explore the possibility of sharing experiences and perspectives. Collaborative working at any level has emerged as a powerful tool for charities in these challenging times.
• Finally (but certainly not least!), take time to thank your current trustees for their tireless (and usually unpaid) work. Without our trustees, our wonderful culture of selfless volunteering would not be what it is today.

At Geldards, we are lucky to have so many wonderful clients from within the charity and third sector, and to play a small part in your vital work. Geldards will be contributing to Trustees’ Week by bringing you daily insights into what we see as some of the key governance components of a resilient charity.

What do we mean by charity governance and why does it matter?

Charity governance refers to the systems, processes and practices that go into the effective management of a charity, both ethically and lawfully. It involves the responsibilities of the board of trustees in setting the strategic direction, overseeing the charity’s operations, and ensuring compliance with the vast legal and regulatory landscape that charities operate within.

Good governance is key to creating and maintaining a resilient charity, and fundamental to its continued success. It enables and supports a charity’s compliance with the law and promotes a culture in which everything works towards fulfilling the charity’s vision.

Governance is the responsibility of a charity’s board, however as Trustees you will find you often rely on the input and expertise of other employees or volunteers, key stakeholders and advisors. During this week we will examine how a diverse range of skills and experience impacts charity governance, and the type of leadership expected to be found in a resilient charity.

Good governance also concerns the accountability and adaptability of a charity. Trustees should be able to demonstrate that decisions are made in the best interests of the charity and its beneficiaries, with the mission and values of the charity at the forefront of the mind. A sustainable charity will be driven by its vision and will be able to continue to adapt to a growing sector.

Improving your charity’s governance is a key part of being a resilient charity. The steps that you may need to take will vary from charity to charity, depending on your size, circumstances and structure. However, we hope that over the next week we can help guide you in the right direction by highlighting a few key areas that are vital to good governance.

The Charity Commission has a wealth of resources available to current or prospective trustees. The 5-minute guides are a useful refresher are a great place to start, with updated core ‘good governance’ guidance now also available.

Click here to find out more about Trustees’ Week 2024 and how you can get involved.

Tomorrow we’ll be taking a look at why a charity’s mission, vision, and values is an important part of its governance.