Overview
The role of charity secretary is critical in ensuring good governance and supporting better decision making, but its responsibilities are not easy to fulfil. Trustees, regulators, and beneficiaries each generate their own needs and requirements.
Start on the right foot or refresh your knowledge with this concise, practical course. Participants will leave with a practical knowledge of the charity governance structure, relevant legislation and tools, processes, and expert advice for day-to-day good governance operations.
For any related enquiries please contact us at training@cgi.org.uk, or call us at +44 (0)20 7580 4741
Participant Profile
- Are you looking to understand the legal and regulatory framework that charities operate within?
- Do you want to learn about the core duties and responsibilities of a Charity Secretary?
- Are you interested in discovering how to facilitate Trustees and Boards in meeting their statutory responsibilities as a Charity Secretary?
- Would you like to explore practical tools to support effective governance practices?
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, participants will have:
- The confidence to undertake the core duties of the charity secretary.
- Insight into the relationship with trustees, regulators, and beneficiaries.
- A concise overview of the Charities Acts 2011 and 2016, the Companies Act 2006 and the legal requirements of public benefit.
- Advice on practical skills in areas like managing meetings and decision making.
You will also receive:
- A delegate pack containing comprehensive course notes and presentation slides
- A certificate to show you have attended the course
- 6 hours credit towards your Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- 6 months complimentary professional subscription of The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland. This includes a subscription to G+C Magazine as well as access to briefings, discounts and our knowledge base.
Testimonials
"A lot of very useful content covered."
"Claire facilitated the training and did this very well. The training was very informative and engaging. We had breakout rooms during the online training which gave us a chance to interact with the other learners. I have certainly left the training with more knowledge about charity governance which I can apply to my role as an Executive Assistant.""
"Good course and acheived my objectives.Tutor very knowledgeable and break out groups very useful for networking and gaining experience from others performing similar roles."
"Claire was great at delivering this session and would highly recommend."
People who take this course often go on to book:
Useful CGI Resources:
A wealth of further information and guidance on Charity governance practices can be found on our website.
Competency framework
This course aligns to CGI’s competency framework: Entry/Emerging
Use the competency framework to identify your strengths and areas for improvement in governance.
Programme
- What is a charity; charitable purposes and public benefit
- Charities Act 2006
- Different legal forms
- Different roles in a charity; beneficiaries; members; trustees and staff
- Subsidiaries and branches
- What is it, and what does it contain?
- Importance of complying with the constitution
- Amending the constitution
- Understanding and approaching the role
- Annual timetable
- Ongoing work and reviews
- Reporting lines
- Understanding the legal framework
- Oversight of obligations
- Land and property
- Contracts
- Seals
- The Charity Commission – role and powers
- Charities that operate in Scotland and Northern Ireland
- Other regulators (e.g. Companies House)
- Annual returns, reporting and accounts, and event driven filing
- Records, registers and document retention
- Names and stationery
- Recruitment and selection
- Duties and liabilities
- Benefits and payments; conflicts of interest
- General meetings
- Board meetings
- Delegation; monitoring and control
- Committee meetings
- Alternatives to meetings
Course Leader
