Resources
Resources
Disability LIB presentation
A presentation about the Disability LIB project, activities and contact information is avaliable in powerpoint and pdf formats. If you require alternative versions, or would like it in person, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Thriving or Surviving
Research report by Disability LIB’s detailing the challenges and opportunities facing disabled people’s organisations. The research demonstrates that DPOs are excluded from most mainstream voluntary sector capacity-building initiatives, due to barriers and a lack of understanding of the user-controlled disability sector.
Download our "Thriving or Surviving" report here
Disability LIB interim report March 2010
Read the Disability LIB interim report and find out more about our project and how you can freely access it
DPO Capacity Building Access Fund
The Disability LIB Access Fund offers small grants for DPOs to increase access to capacity building events and activities.
Find out about the Capacity Building Access Fund
Learning to Fly - useful quick to read tool for small organisations
Learning to Fly is a Governance Hub Publiction (leaflet) that provides an introduction to the role of governance in a small organisation and also details useful resources for improving how your board functions.
To download the tool click here
Governance Matters
The resources signed posted to on this information page may not meet the access requirements of everyone. Please contact the Disability LIB team if you need an accessible format of any of the information provided for on this page and we will try our best to meet the requirement.
What is Governance?
Governance is described as the process of running an organisation with integrity based on set rules and systems.
More definitions of governance can be found from these sources:
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Governance pages – defines in details, what governance is in a no frills way.
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NCVO Publication – is a 34 page pdf booklet on all you need to know about governance and organisational structure plus legal forms.
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ACEVO - gives definition of governance and looks at why governance is so important
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NCIL – looks at governance from the perspective of user led organisations(ULOs)
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Code of Good Governance - The Code has been formulated to help and support board members in the important and rewarding work that they carry out. It is primarily aimed at trustees in the voluntary and community sector but will also be useful to chief executives who provide the bridge between trustees and staff.
What is a Governing Document?
The governing document of an organisation is the constitution of the organisation and it spells out what the organisation is, what it can do, what it cannot do and how it should be run. The governing document of an organisation is a legal document and can be called several names; constitution, trust deed, memorandum of association etc.
More information on governing document can be found on:
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Governance pages – for more definition and what constitutions are used for
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Charity Commission – for model templates that you can adopt and adapt
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NCIL – for more on governance and ULOs and to see examples of accessible governing documents
Who are the People charged with Governance?
The people who are given the responsibility of running an organisation are known as Trustees. They are also the people who are collectively responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of the charity, and financial health, probity of its activities, developing the organisation’s aims, objectives and goals in accordance with the governing document, legal and regulatory guidelines.
The word trustee is a generic legal term that applies to anyone with the responsibility of governing in an organisation. So if in your organisation they are known as directors, management committee or committee members as long as your organisation has a charity status they are trustees in the eyes of the law.
More detailed description of a trustee can be found on:
Registering Your Organisation
Registering an organisation depends on what structure the members/management committee chooses. However if your organisation's income is below £5,000 there is no legal requirement to register as a charity with the Charity Commission. You may choose to register as a company limited by guarantee but it is unnecessary to register as a charity.
Legal Form
This means the sort of body an organisation is in the eyes of the law, e.g. whether it is a company, a trust or an association. Some legal forms are governed by statute e.g. the Companies Acts; others are governed by case law. Legal forms can be either incorporated or unincorporated. There are two main legal forms that most DPOs adopt a Charitable Association and a Company Limited by guarantee (charitable company). These are described below:
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Charitable Association – a charitable status is a legal form that several organisations can adopt. It is a status conferred on an organisation where certain conditions imposed by charity law are met. In order to be a charity an organisation must exist for purposes that the law recognises as exclusively charitable and must exist for the public benefit. The association has no legal personality and the trustees/members can be held personally liable for actions taken by the association. Charitable purposes are clarified in section 2 of The Charities Act 2006
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Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee – a charitable company is an organisation that is under the law recognised to have its own distinct legal personality. Having its legal personality means it can sue or be sued in its own name separate from its members and directors and can also enter into contracts in its own right as a legal person. Its powers are only limited by it governing power called the Memorandum and Articles of Association. To be limited by guarantee means members guarantee or undertake to contribute a pre-determined sum specified in the governing document usually between £1 and £10, to the liabilities of the company which becomes due in the event of the charitable company being wound up.
Information on how to register either as a charitable association or convert into a charitable company can be found on cc21 - Charity Commission publication, and supporting charities - Charity Commission publication
Information on how to register a company can be found on the Companies House - information and guide page
Registration for charitable company limited by guarantee involves double registration with both the Charity Commission and the Companies House
Planning a Cycle of Meetings
Some new documents from Governance Pages to help plan your meetings
One of the best tips to make your committee effective is also the simplest; plan a year’s worth of meetings in advance - not just dates, but rough agendas as well. By looking ahead to cover likely agenda items you can make sure that you have the right number of meetings at the right times. Typical agenda items are agreeing the annual budget, planning for the AGM, reporting on grants, and planning an annual awayday for the committee. To download these new documents visit Governance Pages
cash - ONLINE
An online resource containing financial advice, fachsheets and trainings that are focused on small charities and voluntary groups.
http://www.cash-online.org.uk/
The Compact Refreshed
The Compact is the longstanding agreement that sets out shared commitments and guidelines for effective partnership working between government and the third sector in England.
You can download the introduction to the Compact here
You can also download the refreshed Compact here
NCVO's Focus series 1-7
This series of guides written by NCVO Third Sector Foresight, is designed to help small and medium-sized third sector organisations( including DPOs) think about likely changes in their external environment and how these trends could affect them.
Each pocket guide focuses on a different topic and provides a ready-made analysis of the future changes we will probably see in the coming years in that particular area. Inside, they pose some strategic questions to help you think through these likely future changes, and how you can prepare for them. The topics are funding, volunteers, new technologies, local democracy, social trends and population.
Future Focus 1: what will our funding be like in five years time?
Outlines the major likely changes in funding for the voluntary and community sector in the coming years and asks key questions about your own organisation's funding. You can download PDF version of Future Focus 1 here
Future Focus 2: what will our volunteers be like in five years time?
Examines how volunteers are changing - who they are, what they do and what they expect -and suggests ways to use this information to retain, recruit and manage volunteers successfully.
You can download PDF version of Future Focus 2 here
Future Focus 3: how will we use new technologies in five years time?
Explores how developments in technology are changing the way individuals and organisations behave and the effects these technologies might have on your organisation.
You can download PDF version of Future Focus 3 here
Future Focus 4: how is your local democracy changing?
Presents the likely changes to where power will lie locally and how decisions will made in our communities.
You can download PDF version of Future Focus 4 here
Future Focus 5: how are social attitudes changing?
Helps you to understand how changing social attitudes may affect yourorganisation and to think through how to make the most of likely opportunities and challenges.
You can download PDF version of Future Focus 5 here
Future Focus 6: what will the UK population be like in five years time?
Provides an overview of how the UK population is changing and how this will affect the voluntary and community sector.
You can download PDF version of Future Focus 6 here
Future Focus 7:what will campaigning be like in five years time?
Explores how campaigning will change in the future and suggests ways to use this information to help make strategic choices and plan ahead.
You can download PDF version of Future Focus 7 here
ALLFIE's Report on Pushing for Change
You may download the PDF version of Pushing_for_Change1.pdf