Trustees’ Legal Duties: Accountability

The last of the six duties: ensuring your charity is accountable.

Who is your charity accountable to? Its beneficiaries, its members, its stakeholders, the public and the Charity Commission.

All charities must comply with the law and the requirements of the charities regulator, the Charity Commission.

How to ensure the charity is accountable?

• Ensure appropriate accounts or financial statements are produced.
• Make sure that accounts and reports are submitted on time.
• Comply with your governing document to ensure decisions are made correctly and that members take decisions where required.

We have considered all six duties across trustees’ week. Practicing the six legal duties should make your involvement with charities and acting as a trustee much easier and provide trustees with the tools to achieve the charities mission.

Announcement

We are very excited to announce Trustees’ Week also marks the launch of HEY Charity, a new podcast dedicated to spotlighting local charity leaders and providing legal insights for the not-for-profit sector.

In partnership with the HEY Smile Foundation, this podcast will delve into the Voluntary and Community sector, featuring interviews with visionary charity leaders who are making a significant impact in their communities. 

The first episode features an interview with Smile’s Chair, Trish Dalby, discussing the vital role of trustees.

"HEY Charity" will be available on all major podcast platforms, including Spotify, Sound Cloud, Mix Cloud, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.