Case Study
Essex Wildlife Trust Governance Review
Ensuring effective governance is in place is a priority for every organisation. For charities, an external governance review is more than a good practice requirement of the Charity Governance Code. It provides a valuable space to explore how the culture, behaviours and structures around governance are working for the organisation, and where improvements could be made.
Charities are facing extremely challenging times: effective governance supports Boards to make difficult decisions and provides assurance that the Board is well-positioned to navigate the road ahead.
The Brief
Essex Wildlife Trust, which employs around 200 members of staff and is supported by 2,000 volunteers, had recently undergone significant changes, including recruitment to senior executive roles and the development of new partnerships and funding sources.
The Board was aware that it needed its governance practices to be in the best place to support its more complex operations and to navigate future challenges facing both the organisation and the natural environment.
Our Approach
Understanding the background issues was key. Early meetings with the Chair, Chief Executive and other Trustees ensured the Campbell Tickell team understood the context and the expected outcomes. A workplan was put in place to ensure clarity of expectations throughout the process and to build in regular check-in points between the team and the charity.
01
Campbell Tickell undertook a full assessment against the Charity Governance Code, conducted a survey with the Board and senior team, observed a Board meeting and interviewed the Board and senior team.
02
The Campbell Tickell team synthesised the findings from all elements of the review and then held a ‘playback’ session with the charity to explore those findings prior to writing the report.
03
Through the effective and positive engagement of all involved, the project was successfully completed within the agreed timeframe, with advice and guidance provided by the Campbell Tickell team along the way to help ensure improvements were on track even before the final report was presented.
Related
Key Contact
If you would like to discuss our work, please get in touch.
Sarah Loader
Consultant
