Charities Need To Be Courageous

For more than a year the charity sector has been subject to a number of less than positive media stories. Campaigning, fundraising practices, executive pay and closures have all been centre stage with many commentators linking them to a general failure of governance in the sector. The ongoing saga around the demise, of Kids Company continues to raise questions about the quality and appropriateness of the governance model in the sector. Rightly or wrongly, there is a growing feeling that charity governance is no longer fit for purpose. Trustees' Week 2015 brought the opportunity to engage in constructive debate.

Some of the many accusations levelled at the sector's understanding and implementation of good governance principles are:

The term governance is frequently misunderstood and misapplied Limited use of the unitary board adds to the governance challenge The approach to board positions must move from amateur to...