Case studies - national organisations with local groups

Mind - governance, fundraising
Friends of the Earth - support to local groups
Relate - agreements, mission
CPRE - individual membership
The Wildlife Trusts - strategy, working regionally
The Alzheimer's Society - governance, internal communication

Mind

"We are not parent to the Local Mind Associations. Mind wants to protect the independence of LMAs and empower them, just as they respect the autonomy of their clients to make their own decisions."
Lee Smith, Mind Director of Network Support

The Mind network comprises over 200 independent Local Mind Associations (LMAs) affiliated to the national Mind organisation on payment of an annual affiliation fee. LMAs also sign a membership agreement.

Governance & Trustees

All Mind organisations have the same main charitable objects, but they can achieve these aims in different ways. Mind recommends that LMAs use their model Memorandum & Articles of Association (their governing documents). These are based on the national Memorandum & Articles with the option for LMAs to add additional charitable objects in line with Mind's main aims.

"We allow LMAs to be who they are. The diversity in our network is a strength."
Frances Brown, Mind Executive Officer

Seven of the 24 trustees on Mind's Council of Management are elected from LMAs: one from each region of England, with two from the South-East, and one from Wales. Some LMAs expect their regional Trustee to represent their local concerns at national level and therefore expect to have channels through which they can do this. But under charity law, Trustees cannot be mandated to represent particular interests on a Board. Mind's regional Trustees are informed by their local experience, but cannot represent it at national level. Mind's current governance review aims to address this issue, among others, by creating a means of real stakeholder engagement.

Some of the changes to Mind's governance that the review is considering are:

establishing a forum for stakeholders - a way of letting different stakeholder groups hear each other's diverse views and Trustees hear the range of opinions
simplifying the language used in the governing documents so that it is more widely understood across the Mind network

The review may lead to changes being needed in Mind's national Memorandum & Articles.

Fundraising roles

In the past, some LMAs have been uneasy with Mind fundraising for the national organisation on their patch, particularly face to face fundraising on the street. Mind have since produced a guide on Principles and protocols for fundraising which explains, for example:

that Mind must notify the relevant LMA when the national organisation wishes to fundraise locally & that Mind will explain to potential donors how their role differs from LMAs'
how national fundraising material will refer to the work of LMAs to avoid Mind claiming credit for local work & to make clear which part of the network each appeal is for. National appeals tend to focus on Mind's national services such as its information & campaigning work, but where local work is featured, the money raised is split between Mind & the LMA
that Mind & LMAs will liaise where they risk submitting competing bids to funders and that they will work collaboratively on fundraising where possible

This guidance has helped resolve misunderstanding in the network. In all areas of its work, Mind similarly aims to explain to LMAs the level of involvement that they can expect. With a consultation, for instance, this could mean:

what Mind is looking for from LMAs & why
what Mind will give LMAs in return - feedback or other outputs

"We are not prescriptive. It's about trying to achieve consensus."
Lee Smith, Mind Director of Network Support

Local Mind Support Team
Mind Council of Management frequently asked questions
How Local Mind Associations are funded

Friends of the Earth

Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland (FOE) is a national organisation working through about 200 local groups. These groups are constitutionally branches of the national body and remain bound by national policy, but can campaign as they wish on issues that have local relevance.

Friends of the Earth comprises two organisations:

Friends of the Earth Limited is a registered company. Some of its campaigning and lobbying activities make it ineligible for charitable status
Friends of the Earth Trust is a registered charity which concentrates on education and research

The local groups belong to Friends of the Earth Limited as they have a campaigning purpose like their national counterpart.

Each Friends of the Earth group signs a Partnership Agreement with Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This lets the local group use the Friends of the Earth name and requires them to:

give contact details for the group to national Friends of the Earth
agree not to campaign against the ideas or agenda of Friends of the Earth
operate in a way that lets people get involved and does not discriminate
elect a minimum of three officers for that group - Coordinator, Treasurer & Secretary

Support to local groups

Friends of the Earth employs regional staff - Network Developers - across parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It also has a central team to develop and maintain core support and resources for local groups. Together they form the Capacity Building team which supports and advises local groups and acts as a link between groups and Friends of the Earth, helping them access the specialist support offered by the national organisation.

Network Developers:

work face to face, by phone or email
help new local groups to set up
work with groups to identify solutions to challenges
support groups as they develop campaign plans & strategies to recruit local group members
explain how groups can apply to Friends of the Earth for grants for campaigns & development work
deliver training for local group co-ordinators & members
encourage nearby groups to link up with each other for mutual advice and support

Core staff:

design, develop and maintain overall support and resources for local groups to maximise their impact
develop relationships between Friends of the Earth and other organisations
develop resources, eg. training & coaching programmes, activists' website, support fund, conferences & regional events, handbook to support group development and resources to encourage recruitment

Friends of the Earth Community website

Relate

Relate is a federation of 80 local Relate Centres providing relationship support and sex therapy services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Relate Central Office is in Rugby and London. Many of the local Centres work out of a number of locations in addition to their main local site so Relate offers services from over 600 locations.

Relate Centres are:

members of the Relate Federation
separate charities each with their own governing document & Board of Trustees
often also companies limited by guarantee
legally autonomous

If Centres choose to join the Relate Federation and to operate under its name, they must adhere to the Relate 'club rules'.

The following two documents are signed by both the Chair of each Centre and the Chair of the national charity on behalf of the Federation.

Membership Agreement:

sets out the mutual responsibilities of the Relate Centre & Relate Central Office
includes compliance with Federation policies & quality standards
is not part of the Centre's governing document so does not have the legal standing of the governing document

Trademark Licence:

appoints the Relate Centre as a non-exclusive licensee
defines the geographical area in which the Centre can use the Relate name & logo
sets out the authorised purposes and uses for the name & logo, eg. direct service delivery, fundraising
sets out, in legal terms, the responsibilities of the licensee

Setting up a new Relate service

Relate encourages its Centres to develop new initiatives which respond to local need and which can be adapted for other areas. The Federation asks two key questions about a proposed new service:

Is it within our mission?
Is it within our competence?

It is important that new services meet quality standards for the sake of the Relate brand as well as to ensure clients get the best possible service. If there is a strong case for the service, it is piloted in a Centre and evaluated by Central Office in conjunction with that Centre. If the service is both successful and sustainable, it becomes a Relate service which other Centres can implement if it meets local needs.

Legal boundaries

The documents that Centres sign bring a level of formality to the relationship between Centres and the Federation, but the Federation has no comparable direct relationship with individual trustees and employees of Centres. This means that the Federation has limited legal power should an individual threaten to bring the Relate brand into disrepute. Such a case has to be handled carefully with Federation and Centre working in close co-operation.

Clarity of charitable mission

"Keep the client in focus - that's why we're all here."
Louise Smith, Relate Governance & Quality Assurance Manager

Some federations have different charitable objects at different levels. Relate does not. Its objects at both national and local levels focus on clients. Much of the work of Relate Central Office supports the local Centres and most Relate services are delivered through the Centre network. Relate's main concern is to ensure that clients get the widest possible range of services, including services not easily delivered by local Centres. The introduction by Relate Central Office of a national helpline and email counselling service are examples of services best suited to provision at national level.

Advantages and tensions of the federal structure

Relate's federal structure allows it to reap the benefits of being a national organisation able to respond to and pioneer national initiatives, while retaining a strong grassroots base able to plug in to local communities.

Tensions can arise where Relate wants to respond nationally to needs or opportunities in the external environment or to drive up quality in ways which put pressure on the resources of individual Centres. This is especially so where Relate needs to act quickly and time for consultation is limited.

"The answer lies in ongoing dialogue based on mutual understanding and respect for the different perspectives, abilities and experience within each part of the Federation. Relate Federation trustees and Central Office staff have a responsibility to talk to different Centres and to understand the operational impact of strategy and policy decisions before decisions are made. Centres have a responsibility to take an active part in consultation and decision-making processes and then to accept decisions once taken. It can be time consuming but it's essential. And in the end it produces the best result for clients."
Louise Smith, Relate Governance & Quality Assurance Manager

Relate

Campaign to Protect Rural England

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) operates as a national network of 43 county branches, over 200 district groups, nine regional groups and its national office in London.

The county branches are independent registered charities sharing the CPRE name. Each is governed by its own Executive Committee. The district groups are each part of a county branch.

The regional groups are part of the national organization. They share its charity number as they were set up to carry out national work at regional level. The work of each regional group is also informed by representatives from every branch in the region.

Individual membership

When somebody joins CPRE, the application is always processed and acknowledged by the national office and entered on a central database. Each week, the branches are told of new members so that they can welcome them. On a quarterly basis, new subscriptions are shared out with 50% going to the branch and 10% to the region. The remaining 40% is kept by the national office. Gift Aid claimed on the subscription and any donation sent along with it is shared 50/50 between the branch and the national office.

To encourage branches to recruit new members, 100% of the subscription payment a member makes in the first year is given back to the branch if they are recruited locally. This is based on the approach code printed on the application form on which the member joins. If the member renews in subsequent years, the branch share is 50% as normal.

If a branch recruits a new member who lives in an area covered by another branch, the income is shared with the branch in which they live rather than the recruiting branch. While this occasionally may cause some resentment amongst recruiters, they understand that other branches will be recruiting members for them, too, and that the share is meant to cover administration and mailing costs for the branch that is looking after the member.

Occasionally national office places adverts or inserts in newspapers or magazines. In these instances, the application forms are coded so that national office keeps 100% of the subscription in the first year to cover the high costs of advertising.

National office also sends reports each month of all changes to a branch's membership including changes of address, deaths and resignations. Labels for mailings and lists of members are also sent to branches and districts on request and at no charge, to a nominated member of staff or volunteer.

How CPRE is run

The Wildlife Trusts

There are 47 Wildlife Trusts across the UK, Isle of Man and Alderney, with 37 in England. Each is an independent charity with a clear geographic remit, driven by its members.

Individual Trusts in the movement work together at different geographic levels such as at an 'all Wales' level and as the English Regions. Trusts are affiliated to The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) which provides a centre for the whole movement and employs staff to work on advocacy, development and public relations. Together the 48 charities are known as 'The Wildlife Trusts'.

Strategy

In 2004-05, The Wildlife Trusts developed a set of common Strategy Objectives, facilitated by RSWT, which play to The Wildlife Trusts' key strength - its localness.

"As former Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, I understand how deeply rooted each Trust is in its own community. This is unique in the nature conservation movement, and the complexity it creates means that at an all England and UK level we have often lost out, with a lack of recognition of our role and work. The answer is a lean centre with excellent communications links both internally and externally, strong partnerships with more centralised bodies, and a culture based entirely upon our local strengths. In this way we are becoming more influential and a huge reward awaits us as The Wildlife Trusts go forward with its local organisations in the driving seat."
Stephanie Hilborne, Chief Executive, The Wildlife Trusts

Following a major strategic planning exercise lasting over a year and involving over 140 staff and trustees from across The Wildlife Trusts, a draft strategy was issued to each Wildlife Trust. This process gave each Trust the chance to feed into the development of the overall strategy and influence the role of RSWT within the movement.

Funding for RSWT will move towards more direct financial support from Trusts, to guarantee accountability, with more unrestricted funds raised centrally and being distributed to other parts of the movement.

The South West Wildlife Trusts

Political and legislative powers in the UK, and associated funding, are increasingly being delegated to national and regional assemblies. The Wildlife Trusts' strategy reflects its need to to re-align its resources to reflect this change.

In the South West Region, Alderney, Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Isles of Scilly, Somerset and Wiltshire Wildlife Trusts have together formed a new charitable company, The South West Wildlife Trusts Ltd, with its own Director of Regional Programmes. These nine Trusts have been meeting regionally since the 1980s and are the first region to formalise this arrangement through a separate legal entity. Wildlife Trust Regional Policy or Operations Directors also exist for the South East, East of England, West Midlands and East Midlands.

The Director of Cornwall Wildlife Trust outlines the benefits of working through the new charity:

"The South West Wildlife Trusts is a great vehicle to deliver work at a regional level and make our voice heard in key regional bodies like the Government Office for the South West.
As individual Wildlife Trusts, we have sometimes struggled to feed into regional policy making or to pursue regional funding sources. Through our new company, we can now collate views and co-ordinate a response or action at the regional level.
We have given ourselves the opportunity to choose the most effective route for delivery, sometimes locally at grassroots level, sometimes regionally and, where appropriate, nationally. For example, Cornwall Wildlife Trust, like many others in the UK, provided local evidence to The Wildlife Trusts' national Marine Policy Officer to influence the new Marine Bill."
Trevor Edwards, Director, Cornwall Wildlife Trust

The Wildlife Trusts
Cornwall Wildlife Trust

The Alzheimer's Society

The Alzheimer's Society is one organisation working at a national and regional level, and locally through branches. It has one set of trustees and one governing document. The branches are currently run by committees of volunteers, with advice and management from staff members. Each branch is governed by the branch constitution, part of the Society's governing documents. This defines the limits of the authority that the trustees delegate to branch committees.

Changes to governance

Following a review of the Society's governance and operations, changes are being made to the charity's structure to maximise impact and manage organisational risk.

The new governance structure, agreed by the Society's membership at an EGM in March 2005, comprises a small board of trustees elected by the membership. The board will be informed by an advisory council made up of volunteers, including those from branches. Volunteers will be able to feed their views through to the advisory council via area fora.

One Society programme

The One Society programme is also changing the Society's operations, with accompanying investment in infrastructure and volunteer development.

The programme will change the way the Society's services are delivered locally. Branches will continue to run local services through partnership between volunteers and staff. However, responsibility for line management and budget management at branch level, previously delegated to volunteer committees, will shift during 2005/2006 to a newly created services directorate in the national organisation. The national Society will continue to consult and involve volunteers at all levels.

The changes will enable the Society to:

bring consistency to the range and distribution of the Society's services
improve the cost effectiveness of services
apply the same quality standards for services in all areas
set up services in areas where there are currently none

Internal communication

Initial reactions to One Society among volunteers and staff were mixed. To keep local volunteers and staff in the loop on its progress, the national organisation produces One Society bulletins every couple of months. About 30 volunteers and staff have also become One Society Champions. They:

are self-selected and drawn from across the country
explain and promote the changes to their peers, giving their colleagues confidence that people similar to them support the changes
act as a sounding board, informing the One Society implementation team of common concerns or pointing out where further explanation is required
receive regular briefings from the national organisation so they can answer questions or talk to branches

About the Alzheimer's Society