UK – Constitution for Small Charities

ThirdSector reports that the Charity Commission of England and Wales recently published a modelconstitution for small charities.  TheCommission created the constitution as boilerplate for charities that are sosmall that they are not required to register with the government.  This includes charities that do not ownproperty, employ a staff or expect their annual income to exceed £5,000.

The purpose of the model constitution is both guidance andgovernance.  In only 750 words thedocument explains membership criteria, trustees’ powers and regulationsgoverning trustee and members’ meetings. The document has the potential to standardize practices among smallcharities because it provides a set governance structure and framework for theconcepts that it explains.  The modelconstitution leaves only a few details, such as the name of the charity and itspurposes, to be filled in by the charity. All other matters such as member voting regime, frequency and format oftrustee meetings, and procedures for winding up the charity are predetermined.   The document provides a simple and efficientway for small charities to ensure legal compliance and to implement bestpractices for governance.

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