The Code of Good Governance
Best practice for governing a voluntary or community organisation
Key Principles of Good Governance
The Code of Good Governance
The Code sets out best practice for governing a voluntary or community organisation. It is not mandatory but organisations that comply with the Code are invited to state this in their Annual Report and other relevant published material, and pledge their support for the Code by signing up to the Governance Hub's online charter.
Smaller organisations with limited resources and with few or no staff are invited to focus on the principles set out in the Code, and to state their compliance with the principles rather than the detail of the Code.
Download a summary of the Code or a full copy of the Code
Key Principles of Good Governance
Board leadership
Every organisation should be led and controlled by an effective Board of Trustees which collectively ensures delivery of its objects, sets its strategic direction and upholds its values.
The Board in control
The trustees as a Board should collectively be responsible and accountable for ensuring and monitoring that the organisation is performing well, is solvent, and complies with all its obligations.
The high performance Board
The Board should have clear responsibilities and functions, and should compose and organise itself to discharge them effectively.
More on the high performance Board
Board review and renewal
The Board should periodically review its own and the organisation's effectiveness, and take any necessary steps to ensure that both continue to work well.
More on Board Review and renewal
Board delegation
The Board should set out the functions of sub-committees, officers, the chief executive, other staff and agents in clear delegated authorities, and should monitor their performance.
Board and trustee integrity
The Board and individual trustees should act according to high ethical standards, and ensure that conflicts of interest are properly dealt with.
More on Board and trustee integrity
Board openness
The Board should be open, responsive and accountable to its users, beneficiaries, members, partners and others with an interest in its work.
The Code and Diversity
Underlying each of these is the additional principle of equality - that of ensuring equity, diversity and equality of treatment for all sections of the community. This is fundamental to the work of all voluntary and community sector organisations; rather than creating a separate Equality' section, the principle has been used to inform all sections of the Code.
