THROUGH PARTNERSHIP

New Philanthropy Capital’s Giulia Todres wrote the following case study on our partnership ...

For the past 11 years, The Clothworkers’ Company has partnered with New Philanthropy Capital – among others – to champion trusteeship. With NPC, it has aimed to explore key issues affecting charity governance in the UK.

Being a good trustee is not just about managing finances and risk, but grasping opportunities and trying to maximise the social impact of your charity. The free seminars produced by NPC and The Clothworkers’ Company take place from autumn to spring each year, and they share best practice for trustees and new ideas or policies that trustees should be aware of in order to make informed decisions for their staff and beneficiaries. Plus, attendees get to ask questions of NPC’s expert speakers and discuss the challenges they are facing with their peers. Previous speakers at these events have included Gail Scott-Spicer, Trustee, Premier League Charitable Fund; Arvinda Gohil, Chair, the Peel Institute; and Jonathan Bell, Trustee, National Aids Trust.

These seminars have always been topical and designed with the current concerns of trustees in mind. Previously, NPC has hosted sessions on the role for trustees in the debate on diversity and inclusion, and how trustees can help implement place-based approaches. This was particularly true throughout 2020 and 2021, during the pandemic, when NPC held sessions on retaining and empowering volunteers, harnessing digital opportunities, and setting charity reserve policies. Speakers in 2020 and 2021 included Alex Butler, Trustee, SafeLives; Tiger de Souza MBE, Volunteering, Participation & Inclusion Director, the National Trust; and Rohan Hewavisenti, Chief Financial Officer, Amnesty International. What’s more, after each of these events; blogs and YouTube videos are produced to share the learnings more widely.

These trusteeship and governance seminars have gone from strength to strength since The Clothworkers’ partnership with NPC began. This was even the case when COVID-19 disrupted the events series and the sessions moved from Clothworkers’ Hall to Zoom. Virtual attendance reached new heights recently, with 157 people signing up for the harnessing digital technology through and beyond COVID-19 event, and the NPC blogs and YouTube videos continue to carry important messages far and wide, beyond just those who were able to join the webinar. What’s more, testimony from participants has been as positive and energising as ever: ‘Well structured—well hosted— good range of speakers—great follow up—good job all round’, ‘I wasn’t able to attend the event and so watched the recording on YouTube. It was very useful to be able to do this so thank you’. Looking to the future, this partnership will continue into 2022 with events on the environmental crisis and how to close down services or programmes already in production. NPC says The Company’s support ensures that this events series continues to champion good governance and build a more resilient non-profit sector across the UK.

Find out more about NPC’s trusteeship seminars – online and in person – on its website at: www.ThinkNPC.org.uk.