SCVO - Information - Governance and Structure

These pages cover many of the key aspects of operating a voluntary organisation that voluntary management committee members should be aware of, including information on setting up a voluntary organisation, charitable status and key pieces of law with which the sector should comply.

Further information and resources on good governance are available on the SCVO Governance Programme site.

Governance and Structures Categories

Trustees & Committees
Voluntary Management Committee Members, Boards of Directors, Charity Trustees, Trustees: the different names are legion but whatever they're called these pages set out to help the group of people responsible for governing the organisation to better understand their roles and responsibilities and run their organisation the way it should be run. These pages cover induction, who does what, who might be on the committee, payment, effective meetings (including AGMs), all about office bearers, who can and can't be a trustee, training, relationships with staff and accountability.

Structures
Including CHARITABLE STATUS. Voluntary Organisations can take many forms; from the nascence of the unincorporated association to the renaissance of the company limited by guarantee with charitable status. This section explains the different options, gives some idea of the purpose and possible benefits and drawbacks as well as some information on the process required to adopt a certain form. Charitable status, while not strictly a structure in itself, is covered here because so many people think of 'a charity' in this way. This section is currently being updated to properly account for recent changes to charity law in Scotland from April 2006.

Keeping Legal
The 'Keeping Legal' section of this website is intended to provide voluntary organisations with a quick overview of the major areas and pieces of legislation that will (or may) affect them. It does not set out to be an authoritative statement of the law. The range and diversity of pertinent legislation means that different areas are dealt with in different ways and to a different degree of detail. The nature of legislation means that it is not possible to cover every enquiry through the provision of information on a website. If a voluntary organisation has specific legal queries it should seek professional advice.