Governance blog

We felt there was a gap in helping organisations improve their board meetings, build their strategy and strengthen their board-staff relationships.  Read more

The Decelerator offers information, tools and hands-on support for better organisational endings: anticipating and designing closures, mergers, CEO transitions, programming ends, and all sorts of endings as just part of the everyday life of organisations and inevitable cycles of... Read more

The Scottish Governance Code for the Third Sector was originally developed in 2018 by the Third Sector Governance Forum. Designed specifically for Scotland’s voluntary sector, it provided a statement of best practice on what good governance looks like. Since then, both our... Read more

Trustees’ Week is all about highlighting the great work of trustees across Scotland and the UK, and the role they play in governing our charities and voluntary organisations. Read more

In this blog Anna Fowlie discusses what charities can do to increase diversity on boards. Read more

Ben Cairns (co-founder and director of IVAR) and Chris Mills (Research Associate at IVAR) explore what strategic charity reserves management means and its benefits, in their latest blog for Small Charity Week 2023. 'We’re a small charity with a small turnover. We know we’re... Read more

Audits of charity accounts are currently creating a headache for the third sector. There are several causes. But some charities can escape some of the headache with thought or careful planning. The issues with audits are UK-wide and not just confined to Scotland. There is a... Read more

We’re facing challenging times right now but there is lots of support out there for the 250,000 trustees across Scotland. Read more

Resilience is the word of the moment, and that’s something trustees need in spades! Because they’re doing it in their own time, as volunteers, it can be a juggling act of competing priorities. Read more

I work with the Cranfield Trust offering free support for charity leaders. In a recent discussion about the cost-of-living crisis with the chair of a charity I work with, they remarked wryly that, "The cost-of-living crisis isn't like another wave of Covid - this is like a... Read more

The Scottish Governance Code for the Third Sector was developed in 2018 and sets out five broad principles of good governance that act as a point of reference for trustees in carrying out their role. They can be summarised under the following broad headings: Organisational... Read more

Good governance matters because it underpins successful charities and is vital for their effectiveness and sustainability. It enables us to serve our beneficiaries and achieve our mission and values, and it also helps to protect and enhance the reputation of individual charities... Read more

By Fiona Gillespie, Head of Charities - Scotland, Rathbones At Rathbones we’re proud of our long history of supporting the charitable sector. Charities have entrusted us with their money for over 100 years. With funds under management of £7.1 billion* for more than 1,90... Read more

Following a High Court trial and six year investigation by the Charity Commission in England and Wales we now have a report into the failure of Kids Company and the subsequent, very public, fallout. The Charity Commission report, which details serious mismanagement, makes for... Read more

As we come to the end of Trustees’ Week 2021, SCVO and members of Scotland’s Third Sector Governance Forum will be looking back at the various events and activities to see what they have learned and what are the key lessons for trustees. I run a charity called Evaluation Support... Read more

November 1-5 marks a week of celebration of the 250,000 trustees across Scotland who all make a difference in our communities for Trustees' Week. At SCVO we’re starting off the week with a Rise and Shine Webinar which will focus on the fantastic finalists from the Trustee of the... Read more

I’ve been involved in the voluntary sector for my whole life. I’ve benefited from services, I’ve raised money and I’ve been fortunate enough to build a career. I’ve also been involved in boards and management committees and became a trustee with the wonderful Paths for All in... Read more

There is much to be gained by diversifying your board and getting the right mix of trustees with a range of lived, learned and practised expertise. Trustees play an essential role for the charities that they lead from setting the charity’s strategic direction to making key... Read more

1-7 June is Volunteers’ Week – always a time to celebrate and say thank you for the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK all year round. During the last few months we have seen an amazing volunteer response to the coronavirus pandemic, with many... Read more