There is no shortage of resources that Trustees or Committee Members can draw upon to help them carry out their roles effectively. And many of these resources are free. Knowing where to find them is the first challenge, so today, here’s a selection of some of the key resources that I think all Trustees and Boards should know where to find:
“The Essential Trustee” – Guide from the Charity Commission. Fundamental reading for every Trustee to ensure you understand the role.
Info here. Pdf here.
The “Charity Governance Code” – recently reworked version of the “Code of Good Governance”. Voluntary guidance framework which will help you to ensure that your governance approach is working well.
Info on their website here. Download the .pdf’s here (versions for smaller and larger charities). Worksheets to help you apply the code here.
“The Good Trustee Guide” – book from NCVO. A ‘bible’ of all things to do with the details of being a Trustee.
Info here. Discounted for NCVO members.
VANEL has a number of copies of the slightly older version which members can borrow. Contact me.
“Charity finances: trustee essentials” – another guide from the Charity Commission which is useful to get a grip on understanding your finances.
Info and downloads here.
Also related and useful is the “15 questions trustees should ask about finance and resilience” – also from the Charity Commission.
Info and downloads here.
“Handbook for Honorary Treasurers” – brand new guide for charity treasurers from SayerVincent.
Info here. Pdf here.
“Making digital work: 12 questions for trustees to consider” – from Charity Commission again. Tech is a shortcoming for most charities, so use this guide as a prompt to get you thinking better about tech.
Info and download here.
The weekly “legal updates” for charities published online by BWB are essential reading.
Find them here.
“Rethinking Risk: Beyond the tick box” – guide from SayerVincent which is extremely useful for getting your head around risk management.
Pdf here.
And finally (for now), my favourite easy tool is the 5 S’s of Governance. These are ways to look at your role (as an individual or a board) and make sure you’re covering all your bases.
S’s are – Strategy, Scrutiny, Stretch, Support and Stewardship.
You can read more about these here from Julia Unwin when she first introduced them years ago during a talk.
Of course the key step with any tool is to use it. These documents, guides and resources are only going to be useful if they are put into action. So tackle one thing at a time using one of these resources and see where they lead you.