May 3, 2023

How to diversify your charity’s board

At Getting on Board, they envision a thriving charity sector that is equipped by its diverse boards to meet current and future challenges.

Their mission is to change the face of trusteeship, by opening it up to all sectors of society, particularly those who are currently under-represented on charity boards. They have produced a guide based on Getting on Board’s work with hundreds of charities to support them to diversify their boards.

The aims of this guide are to:

• Provide charities with the guidance and tools to diversify their boards for the first time, or to maintain and improve the diversity of their board.
• Support organisations to recruit trustees who will be transformative to the charity concerned.
• Ensure that new trustees are treated inclusively and equipped to contribute fully to the charity which appoints them.
• Strengthen the UK charity sector by giving charities the tools to grow and diversify the trustee pipeline.

Download the guide here

 

Charities Act 2022 implementation

In February last year the Charities Act 2022 was passed.

The first phase of implementation started in October 2022, and the next phase begins this spring. Key changes coming into force soon include the following:

• Changes to the sale, leasing, or other disposal of land. It will become easier to dispose of charity land as a wider range of people will be able to advise trustees. The requirements when a charity sells, leases or otherwise disposes of land to another charity will also be made clearer.
• New statutory powers will come into effect for charities with a permanent endowment. These powers will change how charities can spend or borrow against their endowment without needing to seek Charity Commission authority. A new power also allows certain charities to make social investments with their permanent endowment, even if there may be a negative or uncertain return.
• The Commission will gain powers to stop charities using names that are too similar to other organisations, or are offensive or misleading. They may delay the registration of these organisations. They can also apply this power to exempt charities in discussion with other regulators.
  The definition of ‘connected persons’ will also be updated and clarified.

The Charity Commission’s implementation timetable will be updated here