Is your charity Hallmarked?

Governance | 1 Aug 2008

The Charity Commission’s updated flagship guide to effective governance – The Hallmarks of an Effective Charity - was published this month (July 2008). The revision clarifies the key principles forming the Hallmarks and reflects the increasing importance of financial prudence and accountability. The Hallmarks can be used by any charity to raise its standards and improve its effectiveness.

The six Hallmarks of an effective charity are:

Hallmark 1 - Clear about purposes and direction: using its purposes, mission and values to direct all aspects of its work
Hallmark 2 - A strong board; having the right balance of skills and experience and clarity about its responsibilities and the interests of its beneficiaries
Hallmark 3 - Fit for purpose; having structures, policies and procedures in place to enable it to achieve its purposes
Hallmark 4 - Learning and improving; always assessing performance to improve its performance and to inform planning and future direction
Hallmark 5 - Financially sound and prudent; controlling and using financial and other resources to deliver its purposes
Hallmark 6 - Accountable and transparent, accounting to all those with an interest in it in a transparent and understandable way.

Dame Suzi Leather (pictured), Chair of the Commission, said:

“What separates the best charities from the rest is the quality of their governance. Hallmarks has an excellent track record amongst charities as a practical tool for reviewing and enhancing their effectiveness and seeing how they measure up. These updated Hallmarks ensure the relevance of this guidance which, together with the sector’s own governance standards, can help every charity meet today’s challenges.”

The Hallmarks of an effective charity (CC10) is available from the Commission’s website

Directory: Charity Commission
Who's Who: Suzi Leather

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