New Charity Commission Guidance – The Better Way can help
In new Guidance issued by the CCNI this week charities are urged to consider how their organisation stands up against the standards of Best Practice set out by the Commission. If in doubt about what ‘Best Practice’ is, Charities are urged to consult the Commission’s website which provides a wide range of guidance on all issues affecting charities. Advice is included on how Charities should approach dispute resolution.
the better way’s dispute prevention training is specifically designed in line with the Commission’s guidance to help charities to take a proactive approach to the issue.
The Charity Commission says:
‘At times, trustees may disagree or there might be disagreement between or within the membership and the trustees. While it may be positive to have a wide range of opinions to inform decisions, where this leads to a dispute which has a negative effect on the functioning of a charity then it is a problem. We expect the trustees and the members of a charity, where these exist, to work in the best interests of the charity and to seek to resolve issues where they have the potential to damage the charity’.
(https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/our-regulatory-work/concerns-about-charities/internal-conflicts/)
Prevention is better than cure and that’s what we aim for at The Better Way, but if the dispute has escalated beyond initial rumblings we can once again help charities comply with the Commission’s guidance which recommends mediation as a means of resolving disputes:
‘Alternatively, a charity might consider a more formal approach to resolving a dispute by employing the services of a professional mediator. Mediation can be a quick and cost effective way to resolve disputes.
If the parties involved in the dispute decide to take their disagreement to the charity tribunal or the court, the tribunal or the court will expect them to have tried mediation before hearing their case. Often the parties need our permission to take court action in relation to a dispute within the charity. In these cases, we will usually expect them to have tried mediation before we provide our consent to allow the matter to go to court.’
If your charity wants to take proactive steps, or needs help with dispute resolution simply click the ‘need help’ tab at www.thebetterwayto.com