Three top tips for charity trustees

Here our charities & not-for-profit legal team outlines three tips for charity trustees to consider this quarter.

Strategic review

Trustees should regularly review their charity’s effectiveness and how the charity operates in changing or uncertain economic climates. The Charity Commission has recently published a 15 question checklist which provides a useful tool to help trustees respond appropriately to change by developing plans and timetables for action.

Changes to charity audit thresholds

Changes to charity audit thresholds came into force on 31 March 2015. These include increasing the basic audit threshold from £500,000 to £1 million. Trustees are encouraged to look at the changes to see if their charity can benefit from them. Updated guidance can be found on the Charity Commission’s website.

Grants by charities

A reminder that trustees must undertake reasonable due diligence when making grants to non-charitable organisations. They must ensure that the funds are used only for charitable activities which further the purposes of their charity and that do not expose it to reputational or other risks, which might impact on public trust and confidence in it.

We're here to help