1. Building resources, investment and community knowledge

2. Governance Brymbo Why are we talking about it? Legal responsibility
Funders need to have security
Best way to deliver a successful project

3. What is Governance? The way an organisation is managed
The way the organisation is steered to fulfilling their vision
The accountable body
Governance is important to ensure that your organisation is able to deliver its vision and meet the challenges along the way.
The governing docs outline the AGM, meetings, number of trustees, mentioned rotation
The board is responsible for outlining the vision and working to deliver it
Its the compliance body as far as statutory agencies are concerned (NB: ensure you have their governance docs before doing the session to understand what they say and who they would be accountable to)
Mention that Good Governance is important to highlight to external parties that you are to be trusted to delivery

4. What Governance is not Something to ignore until your AGM
An impediment, something to be fearful of
About the day to day running of the organisation

5. Good Governance Principles
The Board will provide good governance by:
Understanding their role
Ensuring there is a clear deliverable vision
Being effective as a team, not just as individuals
Exercising control over the project
Behaving with integrity
Being open and accountable
What induction do you offer? Has their been training, social events for your board?
Do they ALL understand the aims of the group? Test it!
Are they all involved?
Why important (funders)

6. First Principles – know what you are aiming to do
Decide on an agreed vision for your project
Articulate it so that everyone understands your ambitions and so you have something to measure your success
Identify the steps you need to make to make that vision a reality
Prioritise them
But most important – change those ideas when required
If you have brought more people on what induction do you offer? Has their been training, social events for your board?
Does everyone understand the aims of the group? Test it!
Are they all involved?
Why important (funders)

7. Your Board
The board rules will all be in the governing document of the organisation.
A good board will have a clear understanding of their role and their responsibility
A good board will allow and encourage rotation of role and membership
Keep the appointments transparent
The Chair must offer neutral, strong leadership and will change throughout the project.
They can be changed, if required, but should be followed at all times. They are there for a reason. Bang it home and make sure you get a set of the docs beforehand.
Don’t just reappoint people, consider if the board needs to change and make those changes. Expertise can be retained in the form of working groups, volunteers and others
Talk about JD’s for board members
Public advertisement is preferred by all. You don’t know who is out there until you let people know what you want.

8. Project Development and the Board
At each stage of the project you will need different skills on the board.
A campaigning board looks very different to a development phase board which is different to a delivery board and a board which considers ongoing management of a finishes project.
It’s a success to move on sometimes!
EG: in delivery phase the board would need to delegate to the Prof team and may feel a little divorced but they can concentrate more on PR and community engagament
Annual review

9. Skills Audit
The Trust will need to undertake and review regularly the skills it has on board against those the project needs. The project will need different skills at different times of the project. On a regular basis the Trust should:
Identify the skills required to take the project forward
All Trustees should independently fill in a questionnaire to capture their skill set. Each Trustee should reference the time available to help.
An independent helper should compile the responses into a table which will highlight the skills required.
There is a print out example with numbers in and a blank one. Its not useful to do it at the workshop, people feel pressurised. But you can talk through the headings which may make up the audit sheet for that specific project
This is not a threat. It’s a tool to allow you to see the diversity of the skills you have and what would be useful to add to them.

10. Recruitment
Once you have undertaken a skills audit, you will be able to identify skills that would be useful at present.
Agree and write a role outline for the skill set you are seeking, this may be a Trustee or an Advisor
Include an idea of the time commitment
Advertise the post publicly – or with charity umbrellas
Interview and appoint the shortlisted candidates
Tell them to be realistic about time commitment
Advertising doesn’t have to cost money – facebook, website, local newspaper as an article, local radio, local shops, Friends newsletter
Make sure they are a team player
Keep the cohesion of the current team in mind
This is not a threat

11. Communication
Effectively tell your board what’s going on Ensure board members are informed of progress. Make sure roles and responsibilities are understood by board members and those responsible for tasks. Ensure that the board is fully aware of opportunities and risks to be able to make informed decisions enabling them to adapt their approach if necessary.

12. Best Practice Create an annual timetable for the legal commitments
Review quarterly the vision for the project and its route map
Undertake an annual review of the Skills Audit
Recognise and encourage Board change
Regularly review the delegation borders where you have working groups or sub committees
Articulate the terms of reference for the committees
Chartity commission, company house but also accounts
Bang it home that is a mobile document. Can change with Trustees but will also change with stages of the project.
Board are there to monitor and review that vision
The campaigner is not necessarily the development mover who is not necessarily the best person to deliver a project.
Keep control!

13. Governance and Management
Simply put Governance is the strategic directing of project, Management is dealing with the day to day operating strategy
The board needs to be clear about what the terms of reference are which have been delegated outside of the Board.
And when decisions need to be referred up to the Board.
Give some examples:
Change of building use
Application to a funder or a change in the funding strategy
Appointment of a professional team
Change of partner are all Board decisions affecting the strategic development of the project
Change of window cleaner
Change of use in a room are day to day management

14. Issues to review
Do your Board members have the time to contribute meaningfully?
Are there conflicts of interest?
There will always be a learning curve and people will develop new skills. A review does not necessarily mean a change
Your Governance needs to be professional and appropriat
Its not one person’s job, it’s a team effort
If they don’t move them to another role
Record them and decide how to deal with them
Funders look at Governance. Why give £5m to an organisation that cant govern itself?
Don’t let one person dominate the team.

15. And finally
Your Board must be in COLLECTIVE control of the projects direction The skills that you need WILL change Contact PRT Heritage Helpline

16. Thank you!
Laura Norris Web Facebook /PRT-BRICK
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