Good Governance Matters: New tools to help charity trustees get it right

When the governance of a charity is in good shape, many people in and outside the charity hardly notice. The cause itself takes centre stage, as it should. 

But when something goes seriously wrong – because the board doesn’t understand its role, poor appointments are made, conflicts of interest emerge, trustees start fighting each other or the staff, or a massive row hits the media – poor governance is often at the root of the problem. Then, people in and outside the charity certainly do notice. 

It is because so many vital charitable causes depend on good governance that DSC, of which I am a proud trustee, decided to produce Charity Governance Tools and Templates. And it is also why I was delighted to be asked to co-author it with Emma Mathews, combining her industriousness, commitment and expertise as a researcher with my experience as a serial trustee and chair of a variety of UK charities. 

The key rationale for the publication is simple. It is currently too difficult for hard-pressed trustees, and those who advise them, to learn from the experience of others and avoid reinventing the wheel. There are too many different publications to search through, and many useful resources are available only to paying members of various umbrella bodies and are dispersed amongst them. 

Wouldn’t it be a boon, therefore, if templates and tools covering the main requirements of good governance were available in one place? 

That is what DSC’s new Charity Governance Tools and Templates aims to provide. It takes the principles of good governance contained in Charity Commission guidance and the Charity Governance Code and provides the practical tools needed to turn those principles into day-to-day practice. 

Sometimes that means relying on templates and checklists: what is a good process for recruiting and inducting new trustees? How should a CEO appraisal be conducted? How can the performance of the board, chair or individual trustees be reviewed? What should be included in an Annual Report or Constitution? How should a charity go about selecting a new firm of auditors, or creating and monitoring a strategy? In many cases, the publication makes it as easy as possible simply to sit down and get on with the task. 

In other cases, it is less about templates and more about understanding the options and dilemmas. Should you use a headhunter for a key appointment? What are the pros and cons of formal sub-committees compared with working groups or task forces? What are the  merits and disadvantages in having a vice chair or co-chairs? How should trustees think carefully and honestly about EEDI or the role of lived experience? And how can their interpretation of those values be translated into practical reality? 

Across the whole waterfront of governance requirements and dilemmas, we want this publication to be an immediately accessible and helpful companion, enabling trustees to build on the struggles, experience and lessons of those who have gone before them. 

The publication has been peer reviewed by a diverse group of immensely experienced governance experts. Here is what some highly respected reviewers have to say about the result. 

David Cutler, Director of the Baring Foundation, who has worked with a multitude of charities and observed their strengths and weaknesses over many years, says: 

‘I can think of no better guide to trusteeship than this resource – comprehensive and entirely practical. A first-time trustee can use it to prepare themselves for this important and possibly dauting undertaking, but even the most seasoned trustee will find insight and new ways of doing familiar tasks. Every board needs a copy.’ 

Andrew Hind, governance expert and former Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, says: 

‘Don’t let the dry title fool you! This is an invaluable tour of the engine room of good charity governance. Combining established tools with plenty of original thinking, this resource provides a truly comprehensive and value-adding guide.’ 

We hope those endorsements provide reassurance that this publication could be valuable to you, or to those whom you advise and support. 

If you would like to obtain your own copy, click here.