Governance

Governance is a term used to describe the trustees’ role in:

• the long term direction of the charity, including its objectives or purposes
• implementing policies and activities to achieve objectives
• complying with legal requirements
• accountability to those with an interest or 'stake' in the charity.

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​Good governance should happen throughout a charity. The trustee board is responsible for good governance but they rely on many different people to be able to govern well: staff, volunteers, advisors and stakeholders. ​Below are some resources that may be of benefit to you.

Annual General Meetings - Checklist

Annual General Meetings - Overview

Annual Report Template

Creating a Governance Handbook

Guide Skills Audit

Making the most of a Committee

Difficulties between Board and Senior Staff

Committee Member Code of Conduct

Payment of Committee Members

Preparing an Annual Report

Preparing for an AGM

Scottish Governance Code for the Third Sector

Relationship between Committee and Staff

Sample Agenda

Sample AGM Agenda

Sample Code of Conduct

Sample Register of Interests

Skills Assessment Matrix

The Role of the Board

The Role of the Chairperson

The Role of the Secretary

The Role of the Treasurer

Safeguarding

Health and Safety

Insurance

Tax and VAT

Other sources of information

Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator

Companies House

CIC Regulator

Scotland's Third Sector Governance Forum