Charity Commission launches Trustee Quiz
Back in November 2020, the Charity Commission published a series of bite-sized guides for trustees. They were designed to support trustees as they manage the demands of running a charity.
The guides, listed below, cover the basics of charity governance that all trustees should be familiar with.
Delivering purpose – advice on how to use your charity’s governing document, how to deliver on your charity’s purposes, and the law.
Managing finances – advice on how to ensure your charity’s money is safe, properly used, and accounted for.
Conflicts of interest – advice on how to identify and deal with conflicts of interest in your charity.
Making decisions – advice on how to make valid trustee decisions that are in your charity’s best interests
Reporting information –advice on how and what you need to report to the Commission.
Safeguarding people – advice on your responsibilities to keep everyone who comes into contact with your charity safe from harm.
Political activity & campaigning – advice for charities that want to support, or oppose, a change in government policy or the law.
Trustee campaign
In March 2021, the regulator launched a trustee campaign to promote the 5-minute guides.
It published five animated adverts that prompted trustees to consider their understanding of key responsibilities by posing questions connected to each guide.
Next phase
Last month, the Commission launched the next phase of the campaign - a Trustee Quiz, which enables trustees to test their knowledge of their duties and responsibilities.
The quiz consists of a series of multiple-choice questions based on everyday scenarios that trustees may encounter at their charity and covers a range of topics, such as conflicts of interest and safeguarding.
It takes around three minutes to complete, and feedback is provided for each question.
Users are sign-posted to user-friendly resources, including the Commission’s suite of 5-minute guides to strengthen their knowledge.
Research findings
The quiz was launched in response to the findings of the Charity Commission’s 2022 Charity Trustee Research.
The research found that around 98% of trustees feel ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ confident in managing or governing their charity, but when questioned on basic role requirements, on average, trustees answered just 7 out of 10 questions correctly - demonstrating a knowledge gap that could lead to unintentional governance failings.
Knowledge gaps were identified in the following areas:
Navigating regulations
Charity paperwork
Finances
Delegating responsibility
Upskilling
The quiz is intended to encourage trustees to think again about what they know and inspire upskilling, by revisiting the guides and reaching out to the commission for guidance.
Paul Latham, Director of Communications and Policy at the Charity Commission, commented:
“The 700,000 trustees in England and Wales provide a vital service, not just to their individual charity, but to society more widely.
As regulator, we have an important role in supporting them to do the best job possible, ensuring they have the resources they need to fulfill their legal duties and responsibilities with confidence. Our trustee campaign aims to do just that, engaging trustees with thought-provoking content, and encouraging them to reflect on their skills and knowledge and whether there are any gaps in their awareness that our guidance can help fill.
We encourage all trustees to take our new quiz – it’s quick and designed to be fun, but it will also help you assess your own knowledge and take action to address any areas in which you might need more support or learning.”
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