Good governance is a term used to describe how institutions conduct their affairs and manage their resources. Good governance is essential to ensure the effectiveness, sustainability and vitality of any organisation.
A good management committee should:
• understand their role
• ensure delivery of organisational purpose
• be effective as individuals and a team
• exercise control
• behave with integrity
• be open and accountable
We aim to support and enable good governance, inform groups of topical governance issues and provide information on useful and relevant resources.
Good Governance: a Code for the Voluntary and Community Sector was published in 2005 and successfully promoted by the National Governance Hub. It is intended to be a practical and easy-to-use guide to help charities develop good practice. The Charity Commission supports it, and encourages all charities - from large to small - to use it.
This pocket guide is a summary of 'Good Governance: A code for the voluntary and community sector'. It is intended to help and support board members in the important and rewarding work that they carry out. It is also useful for staff or advisers supporting governance in an organisation.
The Charity Commission's website has a section which gives advice and guidance to help trustees understand good practice and the extent of their powers and duties when managing charity resources.
10 tips for developing good governance from the Foundation for Good Governance
Protecting the health and safety of employees or members of the public who may be affected by your activities is an essential part of risk management and must be led by the management committee. 'Leading Health and Safety at Work' has been produced in association with HSE to provide guidance and ensure compliance with requirements.
Would you like to nominate a trustee or management committee member for their outstanding service to the community? The honours system recognises people of outstanding merit, and those who have committed themselves to the service of the nation. Achievement comes in many forms but honours committees are looking for someone who has made a difference in their field of work or community.
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) produces many good resources, including:
- 'Learning to Fly - piloting your local voluntary or community organisation'
- 'Trustee Responsibilities' quiz - part of a Code of Governance toolkit
NCVO offers an online toolkit for Trustee Recruitment for Small Organisations which has been designed to help you find, recruit, induct and keep trustees and/or management committee members. It has been developed with small voluntary and community organisations (VCO’s) in mind.
Links to useful websites: