Governance - Introduction

 “the systems and processes concerned with ensuring the overall  direction, effectiveness, supervision and accountability of an  organisation”    Cornforth, 2003  

All voluntary and community groups have a structure whereby the direction of the organisation is driven by a governing body.  This may have a range of names from “management committee” to “board of trustees” but the group has the “ultimate responsibility for direction the affairs of a charity” (Charity Commission, 2005) 

Local infra structure organisations are exactly the same in that they all have a board of trustees who ensure that the organisation is solvent and well run. 

Once a group is registered with a professional body the organisation is a legal entity and the role of the trustee becomes formal and has a legal responsibilities. 

There are a number of options open to a third sector group when it comes to registration.  It may not necessarily answer all the groups needs to be just registered as a charity. 

It may also be that some of your activities will preclude you from registering as a charity and you will need to choose another structure. 

Once you have registered the board will have ongoing responsibilities to the professional body in order to retain registration and avoid penalties. 

As groups grow and develop it may also be appropriate to review the structure of the organisation and may be take on another structure either instead or as well as the original structure. Local infrastructure organisations have two roles to play in this. 

Firstly their staff need to be fully aware of the different structures available to groups and the advantages of each.  This will enable them to guide a group to make the best possible choices. 

Secondly they need to ensure that their own organisation is well run as an example to other groups.  This also helps staff draw on their own first hand experience on what works and what doesn’t.