Faith in Good Governance

The Charity Commission has published a new guide for all faith-based charities to help them establish strong trustee bodies and good practice. The guide was launched last week by the Commission’s Faith and Social Cohesion Unit (FSCU) to coincide with National Inter Faith Week (15 – 21 November 2009).

The publication, Faith in Good Governance, is aimed at the trustees, staff and volunteers of those charities established with a religious purpose whose main focus is religious worship and related activities. Itbrings together into one document aspects of the legal and good practice framework which are most likely to be of relevance to faith-based charities.

Faith in Good Governance has been produced as a result of ongoing work with and feedback from faith-based charities, who said that a tailored publication would be very helpful for the 30,000-plus charities on the Register that are identified as ‘faith-based’. It has been produced in an easy-to-read format and will be available in a number of languages.

Dame Suzi Leather, Chair of the Charity Commission said:

“It is important that trustees have the flexibility and freedom to decide what is the best way to achieve their charity’s aims, but at the same time they need good, useful guidance to help them in their work, which is why we have produced Faith in Good Governance. We hope trustees will find this new resource useful and that it will help faith-based charities become even more effective.”

Dr Harriet Crabtree, Director of The Inter Faith Network for the UK said:

"Faith in Good Governance will be an excellent resource for faith communities across the country. It draws on good practice examples from many different faith contexts which can help faith-based charities be even more effective in their important work."

Faith in Good Governance uses the Commission’s experience of charities operating across many different faiths and includes the perspectives of a number of people associated with particular faith-based charities. It includes practical case studies as well as summarising the legal requirements that charities ‘must’ fulfil, and the recommended good practice that charities ‘should’ adopt.

The guidance is aimed predominantly at smaller/newer charities whose main focus is operating a place of worship, but the basic principles would be equally applicable to other faith-based charities. The document will be promoted by the Commission, including through the Faith and Social Cohesion Unit, led by Ghulam Rasool.

Faith in Good Governance is available on the Commission’s website at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/faithgov.asp