Page 18 - Demo

INTRODUCTION
As a result of a decline in the number of religious in active ministry some institutes are faced with the problem that there are fewer individuals willing and able to act as charity trustees. At the same time the mission for which
the institute was established has very likely not gone away and the obligations and burden on charity trustees is increasing as they have to be aware of and comply with ever-changing and increasing regulatory requirements.
DO WE HAVE TO HAVE LAY TRUSTEES?
The Charity Commission’s view is that “to operate effectively, a trustee board needs a diverse mix of skills, backgrounds and experience. As well as professional skills such as nancial, legal and management, a charity will bene t from people: with varied life experiences and perspectives; who represent the stakeholders it works with; and/or with an understanding of governance and the ability to
think strategically”.
The religious may well be quali ed in all or many of these skill sets, but that
is not always the case and as fewer religious have the time or sometimes the willingness to commit to the management of the charity, the institute may need to consider other ways to introduce the necessary diverse range of skills into the management team. The charity trustees have a joint responsibility
to take forward the work of the charity and they cannot simply rely on one individual who has the necessary energy and enthusiasm to do all the work on their behalf.
In addition, charity trustees also need to consider not just the current day demands and issues, but the longer term requirements. With every organisation there is a need to plan for the future, to plan for change, and one of the most important issues is to ensure continuity in the management of the charity.
Charities, secular and religious, and institutes have one key principle in common, they encapsulate the past, present and future. They are not about simply reaping the rewards of activity today, but are building upon the foundations of an organisation that will continue to carry out its purposes long after the current participants are gone. The charity trustees are often described as merely the stewards of the charity’s assets for a nite period of time.
14 Chapter 2