bringing two charities together
the challenge:
The trustees of a large charity needed help to identify,
prioritise and resolve their problems. The issues were
largely caused by their unwieldy structure, with two charities
operating side by side. We had to consider poor working
relations and a lack of trust between the different stakeholders of
the charity; difficulty in recruiting and retaining new trustees
and constitutional issues affecting their ability to borrow.
our approach:
We encouraged the board to consult with their members to
identify and confirm their areas of concern. We amalgamated
the two existing charities into one new incorporated charity,
removing a major cause of many of the problems and giving the
trustees protection of limited liability. The constitution
was modernised to improve transparency and communication, this
benefited relations between stakeholders and removed restrictions
on borrowing.
the result:
The new charity has a clear focus on its objectives and a more
dynamic management structure. This has led to improved trust
and communication between the stakeholders; easier recruitment of
trustees; a constitution that is fit for purpose; cost savings and
process efficiencies and availability of bank funding.