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As a general rule trustees should:
Avoid undertaking activities that might place the charity’s property, funds, assets or reputation at undue risk
Ensure that the charity is and will remain solvent
Ask questions/take appropriate advice/document decisions
The Charity Commission has guidance on decision making:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/ le/583855/CC27_new.pdf
6. Ensure your charity is accountable
The Charity Commission split this section of their guidance into three main areas:
(a) (b)
Compliance with your accounting and reporting requirements Accountability to your members, bene ciaries, supporters, funders etc.
Unfortunately perception is often everything, and so it is important to maintain a dialogue with those who have the most personally invested in your charity, in order to help manage expectations and be well informed of any potential shifts in attitude.
Members
Often a religious institute charity has no large legal membership, its legal members (if it has any apart from the trustees) frequently being the superior alone or with his or her council. However it would seem prudent to keep a dialogue with the members of the institute to update them on the activities of the charity, particularly as it is usually the members of the institute who set the charitable mission of the institute, which then informs the charitable mission of the charity, so they need to know what activities are working on the ground and what are not. Also under canon law the superior and council will be held accountable for their actions.
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Chapter 3
