Charity Governance and Operation
Charity Governance and OperationAll charities need an up-to-date constitution and governance policies to enable trustees to manage their charity effectively and stay compliant. Our specialist charity solicitors can work with you to make sure your documents are clear, flexible and reflect best practice.
If your charity is unincorporated we can help you decide whether to incorporate, given the risks your organisation bears. Our charity solicitors also work with charities with less common structures, including Royal Charter corporations and Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies.
We can carry out a bespoke charity governance review and help you implement change. We provide trustee training and updates, to help trustees understand their legal duties and identify best practice.
Charity law
Some charities have complex arrangements for holding assets. We help charities make best use of assets held subject to permanent endowment. We can help you identify opportunities to make changes and obtain Charity Commission schemes and orders.
Supporting your operations
We seek to understand your charity’s ambitions and business model and help protect assets and mitigate risks arising from your charity’s activities. We advise on all types of commercial agreements and help charities negotiate contracts and identify and apportion risk.
We also help charities protect their brands and intellectual property and ensure they comply with the law, regulation and best practice in fundraising activities. Following the establishment of the Fundraising Regulator and changes in data protection law, we are assisting many clients to meet the requirements when they obtain and hold data. We are specialists in Data Protection law and practice and can offer a Data Protection Officer support service for your charity.
Collaborations and mergers
Charities often collaborate and increasingly this requires a more formal approach, whether establishing a joint venture or entering into a collaboration or consortium agreement. We understand the dynamics of working with other organisations, while ensuring each charity preserves its identity.
We regularly advise on charity mergers and understand the sensitivities that can arise. We help guide trustees and executive teams on the process, from initial discussions to considering future governance structures to implementation.
Our team can also help you with the following:
