Raising the profile and voice of charities and their leaders
About the Charity Reform Group (CRG)
The Charity Reform Group (CRG) brings together fourteen charity CEOs with a shared interest in building the profile and voice of charities and their leaders.
The journey
The CRG came together in early 2022. Its foundational report Speak Up, We Need You, published in Spring 2023, asked why charity CEOs are under-represented in public debate and whether it matters. The answer from a range of external stakeholders was a resounding yes.
The report goes on to explore barriers to charity CEOs being able to speak more openly and identified three key areas of onward work which we are taking forward:
- A lack of clarity & confidence in campaigning, particularly amongst trustees
- A lack of understanding of what modern charity is for outside the sector
- The absence of a positive vision as to the future role of charity in society, and, in particular, its future relationship to the State.
The CRG, working with SMK, is taking this work programme forward by:
- Publishing a new Guide for Trustees to help charity boards navigate their organisations’ approach to campaigning.
There are many ways to make change, just as there are many definitions of what campaigning is. There is no single or ‘right’ way to do it. This Guide is designed to help trustees ensure they have the right approach for their own organisation. It is framed as a set of questions to help trustees support their organisation to campaign with confidence. It is not legal advice but is intended to work alongside more detailed legal and strategic guidance the Guide signposts to.
- Hosting events with partners from other sectors to build understanding of what this sector does and explore common cause.
Next event is What could better charity-business partnerships deliver for Britain? At the Conduit, London on 20 November. Speakers include:
Lewis Iwu – CEO and Co-Founder of Purpose Union (Chair)
Harriet Oppenheimer – CEO of RNID
Matt Downie – CEO of Crisis
James Perry – Co-Chair of COOK and Co-Founder of B Lab UK (the UK B-Corp charity)
To register an interest in attending please email: info@smk.org.uk
- Launching a new essay series.
Launching this autumn, CRG members have each written an essay sharing a personal account of what they believe charities contribute to society, and their vision as to how this sector can work in a more equal and fruitful partnership with other sectors, and in particular the new Government.
To register an interest in receiving this essay series please email: info@smk.org.uk
For any queries regarding the CRG please email Seth Farsides, Policy and Research Officer, here.
Get to know the Charity Reform Group
Who is in the Charity Reform Group?
Th Charity Reform Group is made up of charity leaders from across the sector, working towards four outcomes.
A productive relationship with government and business
The Charity Reform Group paints a picture of how charities, government, and business can build better relationships in pursuit of social change.
Coming soon!
Speak up, we need you!
What do other sectors want to see from charities when it comes to speaking out?
Confident campaigning governance
Research, guidance, and tailored support for trustees who want to support their organisation to speak up.
Building confident campaigning governance
– new offer for trustees
Our recent research with Governance & Leadership magazine found that support for campaigning amongst trustees is high, but levels of confidence do not match.
In response, SMK has produced a free short guide for trustees called Navigating charity campaigning that points to five essential conversations board should have to develop confident campaigning governance. It can be used alone, or as the starting point for a board conversation guided by SMK. Our one-hour or three-hour sessions will help boards explore campaign governance together. Full details in this blog.
Take the first step to building campaigning governance confidence in your organisation. Register your interest by emailing SMK Head of Programmes Kath Christie.
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