Third sector support:
Governance
Good governance is fundamental to a charity’s success.
It enables and supports a charity’s compliance with the law and relevant regulations and also promotes a culture in which everything works towards fulfilling the charity’s vision.
What is Governance?
Governance is how organisations decide what they are going to do and how they then carry out these decisions. It enables and supports a charity’s compliance with the law and relevant regulations and also promotes a culture in which everything works towards fulfilling the charity’s vision.
The reason we promote good governance is because well-governed organisations will always find it easier to convince funders to give them money, as well as being more effective at whatever they do.
What support do we offer?
As well as the support mentioned below, ACVO offers consultancy on anything relating to the governance of Third Sector Organisations. We offer support to decision-making by making sure that you know the implications of any particular decision.
We have a great deal of experience working with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) and can advise and assist on anything relating to the regulatory requirements for Scottish charities, including applications for registration, compliance with the law and independent examination of Accounts.
The training we offer aims to demystify the myths and give committees and Boards a framework in which they can operate and relate to the activities that their organisation carries out. We want people to feel confident in these roles and the challenges they bring.
We promote good governance by helping your organisation make good decisions and then implementing them.
Support new organisations with governance
Turn your idea for a new group or service to benefit your community into something that is fundable.
We can help to choose an appropriate legal form, look at whether charitable status is either desirable or achievable, and help to draft a constitution.
Help existing organisations to improve their governance
We can help organisations with the decision making process around their governance and the best ways in which to implement these in order to ensure that an organisation’s governance and practices are legally sound.
Training related to third sector management
We can provide training to reflect the needs of your organisation from basic management & committee skills, the duties and responsibilities of Charity Trustees, how to be a Treasurer or a minute taker, the duties of Company Directors and more
FAQs
Q - I’ve never been on a committee before, what does a committee do?
It makes decisions. To make it even easier there are only three decisions a committee can make; i) YES, we will do something, ii) NO we’re not going to do something, or iii) We need to find out more before we say yes or no.
Q - Does a Chairperson have any more power than any other committee member?
No, Being an Office Bearer (usually Chair, Secretary and Treasurer) does not give you any more power, these are simply functions the committee entrusts to the Office Bearers to allow the committee to do the one thing that it can do; Make decisions.
Q - What can a charity do?
Charities can essentially do only two things; i) Further their charitable purposes and ii) Make sound investments in order to further their charitable purposes.
Q - Why does my organisation need a constitution?
Essentially, there are two reasons to have a constitution; i) To open a bank account, and ii) To get some money to put in that bank account by giving confidence to people who want to support what you’re doing that you will use their money wisely.
Can’t find what you are looking for? Get in touch with our Development Officer, Sandy Mathers, with any of your governance related questions.
More support
Funding
Get support with finding sources of funding, application processes and apply for Scottish Government Funds distributed by ACVO
Volunteering
Find out how to support volunteering within your organisation and advertise your opportunities
Finance
Discover ACVO’s finance services and support, priced at competitive rates for the third sector
Policy & Consulatations
Find out more about our work to interpret public sector policies and run consultations for the third sector
Want to keep up with the latest from Aberdeen’s third sector?
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Get in touch
Need help with or have a question about governance?
Our Development Officer, Sandy Mathers is here to help.
As Sandy says, “no two organisations have exactly the same requirements”. He welcomes phone or email enquiries as well as offering face-to-face and online meetings (via Teams or Zoom)
A good tip before getting in touch is to get down on paper what it is that you want to do. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, just the bare bones. That will help us to prepare the best way we can assist you.
More support
Funding
Get support with finding sources of funding, application processes and apply for Scottish Government Funds distributed by ACVO
Volunteering
Find out how to support volunteering within your organisation and advertise your opportunities
Finance
Discover ACVO’s finance services and support, priced at competitive rates for the third sector
Policy & Consulatations
Find out more about our work to interpret public sector policies and run consultations for the third sector
Want to keep up with the latest from Aberdeen’s third sector?