Charity Commission/ICSA review project
Charity application form
Thank you for your interest in the Charity Commission/ICSA review project and for considering participating in the exercise.
Potential charity participants are requested to complete the following form in order to establish that the organisation meets the selection criteria, and to confirm that key members of the charity are committed to the project.
Participating charities
In order to successfully complete the research, ICSA requires the assistance of participating charities. Specifically ICSA Members will request certain information from you about the charity’s governance arrangements, and these will need to be forwarded in a timely manner.
By completing and returning the above application form, the charity, is agreeing to:
§ allow the reviewer to attend a trustee meeting, including sending a board pack to the reviewer ahead of the meeting (ideally at the same time as trustees are sent the pack);
§ to forward those documents requested by the reviewer, and that the charity has in place, ahead of the face-to-face governance review meeting;
§ receive and discuss a report from the reviewer highlighting his/her findings regarding the charity’s governance arrangements.
This application form will also be taken as confirmation that the charity meets the project’s selection criteria:
§ that the charity has registered with the Charity Commission in the last two years;
§ the charity operates in England and/or Wales.
Please return your completed application to by 31 July 2012.
About the charity
Registration number:
Registration date:
Charitable objects:
Geographical area of operation:
Annual income:
Number of staff and volunteers:
Type of organisation (please delete as appropriate): / Trust
unincorporated association
charitable company limited by guarantee
industrial and provident society
Royal Charter
Charity contacts
Lead (staff) contact’s name:Lead (staff) contact’s position:
Lead (staff) contact’s telephone number and e-mail address:
Lead trustee’s name:
Lead trustee’s telephone number and e-mail address:
What does your charity hope to achieve by participating in the project?
Additional information
Researcher conduct
The reviewer will carry out the governance review with all due diligence, care and skill in accordance with all applicable regulations and in accordance with appropriate standards to maintain confidential material.
The purpose of the research is to provide thematic insights into the challenges newly registered charities face in terms of governance arrangements, regulatory compliance and sources of external guidance.
The information provided by the participating charity for this purpose will not be used for any other research or purpose.
Making a complaint
Further information regarding the process for making a complaint about a reviewer can be found in the detailed information for charities available from
Data use and storage
All data and information derived from the board observation, desk top research and face to face interviews, that may constitute personal information, will be subject to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998, where appropriate.
As part of the research ICSA requires a board pack to be sent to the reviewer ahead of the board meeting. This will enable the reviewer to form an insight into the nature of board discussions to be expected at the board meeting. With the agreement of the charity, that board pack will either be left with the charity secretary (or other agreed person) at the end of the meeting to destroy in accordance with that charity’s guidelines, or retained by the reviewer and securely shredded at the end of the review project (February 2013).
Anonymity
Data and anecdotal evidence, collated from each individual reviewer, and used in the final report of the reviewer’s panel will be suitably presented to preserve the anonymity of individual contributors and participating charities.
Confidentiality
The chair and any reviewer will keep secret and not disclose to any person or organisation any confidential information[1] obtained by him/her by reason of the project, except information:
§ the reviewer is required by law to disclose, for example evidence of criminal activity;
§ the reviewer is obliged by his/her professional code of conduct to report to the body which regulates the profession, for example, any evidence of professional misconduct of another member;
§ the reviewer needs to use to defend him/herself, for example in relation to a criminal charge or a civil legal action brought against him/her;
§ these exceptions would apply in any other similar situation, and are not specific to the reviews of a review project.
In addition, the panel of reviewers will not identify the source of any issue they include in their report to the Commission.
Disclaimer
ICSA wishes to remind the participating charities of the clear distinction between supplying information related to governance developments and the provision of professional services.
The information provided to the charity in the report from the reviewer is not intended to constitute, and receipt of it does not constitute, a contract for legal or governance advice.
The feedback provided to the participating charity regarding the board observation will highlight those areas that may require further consideration by the participating charity in light of established best practice. ICSA recognises that there are sound reasons as to why individual charities adopt different governance arrangements and does not seek to infer that any practices are right or wrong for the circumstances of the participating charity. However, where the reviewer believes they have found evidence of illegal activity, they will be required to inform the appropriate individuals, and agencies.
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[1] The words ‘confidential information’ mean all information to which a reviewer or chair of reviewers has access as a consequence of the project and which otherwise is not in the public domain nor intended to be placed in the public domain. This includes information, which relates to the business, affairs, developments, trade secrets, know-how, personnel, customers and suppliers of a reviewed charity and/or any information, which may be reasonable regarded as the confidential information of the disclosing party or by the party entitled to the possession of that information.