Charity Commission finds no training to new trustees

Research by the Charity Commission reveals that many organisations joining the register of charities do not provide any training to new trustees.

The online research, conducted by the Charity Commission, suggests that charities-to-be may not be preparing their trustees for the duties and responsibilities they will face.

The survey findings are unveiled in the first of a new series of registration bulletins launched today.

The regular bulletins will provide facts and figures on new registrations and highlight themes and emerging trends in the charity sector, as well as promote good practice.

To tie in with Trustees’ Week, which took place earlier this month, the first bulletin has a theme of trusteeship and governance.

Alongside analysis about newly registered charities, the bulletin also reveals the findings of an online survey of organisations applying to join the register and case studies drawn from its registration casework.

Highlights show:

From April to September 2011 inclusive just over 3,000 charities joined the register of charities.

Of the new charities, around 700 provided their gross annual income as recorded in their latest set of published accounts. The combined total annual income of these charities alone was £500 million.

However, only 6% of these charities reported their income to be above £1 million whilst 69% declared their income to be below £100,000.

Over half (59%) of newly registered charities provide services. This is a higher proportion than all charities currently on the register (34%).

The average age of new charity trustees is 51, lower than the register average of 57.

Based on the survey findings, 40% of applicants to the charity register did not yet offer any training or support to new trustees

97% of respondents were either 'very confident' (50%) or 'quite confident' (47%) in their organisation's ability to fund its work over the next few years.

Well over a third (39%) of respondents were looking to recruit a trustee or trustees. Trustee recruitment was generally done internally by drawing on existing staff, volunteers or members (56%), via personal connections (48%) or word of mouth (32%).

Sam Younger, chief executive of the Charity Commission, said: “This first registration bulletin offers a unique insight into the range and profile of organisations that have recently joined the Register of charities.

"In spite of the bleak economic backdrop, and significant retrenchment in government spending, about five hundred new charities are being set up every month – and they are optimistic about the future.

“The survey findings highlight the importance of our guidance to trustees in helping new charities get off to a good start. While there is plenty of evidence of forward thinking, we would like to see these new charities recruiting more widely and offering new trustees more training and support.

"When starting out as a charity, it is essential to have strong governance arrangements in place. These are the foundations upon which successful charities are built.”