Trustee Meetings guides
Guides for charity trustees.
Plain-English answers to the questions small-charity trustees ask us most — no jargon, no lectures.
Ready to adopt a policy? Browse our charity policy templates.
Meetings & minutes
Charity AGM requirements: what you must check as a trustee (2026)
Charity AGM requirements for trustees in England and Wales: when you must hold one, notice, quorum, the business, and what a missed AGM means.
Last reviewed 21 October 2026
Charity AGM agenda template: copy it for the members' meeting (2026)
A charity AGM agenda template you can copy: register, accounts, elections and timings for a members' meeting of about an hour, plus papers to send with it.
Last reviewed 21 October 2026
How often should charity trustees meet? What the rules require (2026)
How often should charity trustees meet? No legal minimum in most cases — but your governing document rules. What the Charity Commission expects, explained.
Last reviewed 17 July 2026
Charity trustee action log: template and how to use it (2026)
Charity trustee action log template (UK): the columns, a worked example, and how to run the log in your board meetings so actions actually get done.
Last reviewed 17 July 2026
How to Chair a Charity Meeting: The Six-Moment Chair's Script
How to chair a charity trustee meeting: keep time, stop dominance, draw out quiet trustees, with a six-moment chair's script to use in the room.
Last reviewed 14 July 2026
What should charity minutes include? A trustee's checklist (2026)
The 7 things every UK charity board's minutes should cover, plus a template to fill in tonight. Plain English.
Last reviewed 2 July 2026
Charity trustee meeting agenda template: the annotated version (2026)
A ready-to-send charity trustee meeting agenda — each item explained: why it exists and how long it should take. Template, plain English.
Last reviewed 2 July 2026
Quorum for charity trustee meetings: the rule, and what to do if you're short
What makes a trustee meeting quorate, where your quorum number comes from, the Charity Commission's fallback, and what to do if you're short.
Last reviewed 2 July 2026
How to run a charity board meeting: a step-by-step guide for the chair (2026)
The before, during and after run-sheet for chairing a charity board meeting in England and Wales: what to send when, what CC48 says, and a day-by-day checklist.
Last reviewed 2 July 2026
Charity meeting minutes template (UK) — copy it and start writing tonight
A full charity trustee meeting minutes template you can copy tonight, built around the Charity Commission's CC48. Plain English.
Last reviewed 2 July 2026
Charity board pack: what a small charity actually needs to include
Not a 100-page corporate pack. The minimum-viable board pack for a small charity's trustees — agenda, minutes, finance snapshot, one-page papers.
Last reviewed 2 July 2026
The new trustee
Trustee welcome pack: what to include, with a contents template (2026)
What goes in a charity trustee welcome pack? The Charity Commission's own contents list, a copyable checklist, and the steps that are legally required.
Last reviewed 17 July 2026
New charity trustee induction checklist: what to give (and get) in the first 3 months
A printable checklist for inducting a new charity trustee — who provides each document, by when, and why it matters. Plain English.
Last reviewed 2 July 2026
Your first trustee board meeting: what to expect (and a night-before checklist)
New charity trustee? Here's exactly what happens at your first board meeting, plus a night-before checklist — what to read, bring, and say.
Last reviewed 2 July 2026
Duties & compliance
The trustees' annual report: what a small charity actually has to say
Every registered charity must write one, whatever its income (Charities Act 2011, s162). What must be in it, what small charities are excused, and the paragraph boards get wrong.
Last reviewed 11 August 2026
Charity Commission annual return 2026: a trustee's walkthrough
What your charity has to send, when it's due, and the sections you'll work through — including the 13-policy tick list. Plain English, with policy templates.
Last reviewed 11 August 2026
What policies does a charity need? Full list for England and Wales & templates
Every policy a charity in England and Wales could need: which are legally required, which the Charity Commission expects, and where to get Word templates.
Last reviewed 20 July 2026
Volunteer policy for charities: what to include + template
What a charity volunteer policy should cover, how to stop a volunteer agreement becoming a contract, and a template for small charities.
Last reviewed 20 July 2026
Charity safeguarding policy: what to include + template
Does every charity need a safeguarding policy? Yes: the Charity Commission expects one. Every section yours should include, in plain English.
Last reviewed 20 July 2026
Charity risk management policy and risk register: what to include
What a charity risk management policy and risk register must cover: CC26 categories, 1–5 scoring, escalation and review, with a worked example.
Last reviewed 20 July 2026
Charity reserves policy: how much should a charity hold?
How much a small charity should hold in reserves, how to set a justified target (not just 3–6 months) and what your reserves policy should say.
Last reviewed 20 July 2026
Charity Health and Safety Policy: Guide + Template
When a written health and safety policy is legally required for your charity, whether volunteers count towards five employees, and a Word template.
Last reviewed 20 July 2026
Charity Grievance Policy: What to Include + Template
What a charity grievance policy must cover under ERA 1996 and the Acas Code, who hears grievances about the CEO, plus a Word template.
Last reviewed 20 July 2026
Charity Disciplinary Policy: Template & Complete Guide
What a charity disciplinary policy should include, how the ACAS Code applies to small charities, and how to adopt it at your next meeting.
Last reviewed 20 July 2026
Charity Data Protection Policy: Guide + Template
What UK GDPR really requires of charities, what a data protection policy should include, and how small charities keep it proportionate.
Last reviewed 20 July 2026
Charity Conflict of Interest Policy: Template & Guide
What a charity conflict of interest policy should include under CC29: declarations, the register of interests, payments to trustees and recording.
Last reviewed 20 July 2026
Charity Complaints Policy: What to Include + Template
What a charity complaints policy should include, the legal position, fundraising rules and where complainants can escalate. Written for small charities.
Last reviewed 20 July 2026
Charity outcome reports: what the law requires and what funders expect (2026)
Charity outcome reports explained: what the law requires in your annual report, what funders expect at the end of a grant, and the 2026 threshold changes.
Last reviewed 17 July 2026
SORP 2026 for trustees: what changed, when it applies, and does it affect you?
SORP 2026 explained in plain English: the new tiers, the exact start date, and a decision path to check if it applies to your charity.
Last reviewed 2 July 2026
Charity conflicts of interest register: template and how it works (2026)
The three moments charity trustees declare a conflict of interest, plus a register template to copy. A plain-English guide to the Charity Commission's CC29.
Last reviewed 2 July 2026
Grants & funding
How to choose grant funders for your charity (and which to skip)
How UK charities pick grant funders worth applying to, with a four-question fit test and a shortlist tool.
Last reviewed 14 July 2026
What UK charity trustees must decide, approve and minute about grants
What charity trustees must decide, minute and approve about grants — delegation, objects, restricted funds, conditions and conflicts.
Last reviewed 14 July 2026
How to write your first grant application: a small charity's guide
How small UK charities write a first grant application — what funders assess, an honest budget, and what to do if the answer is no.
Last reviewed 14 July 2026