The Charity Commission Northern Ireland received 78 concerns about charities between April 2012 and the end of May 2013 bringing the total number of concerns received by the regulator to almost 200.
It published the latest figures in the report, Key lessons in charity governance, to highlight common themes and provide advice to trustees.
Of the 78 new concerns received 68 have been dealt with. Most of these concerns came from members of the public (64), eight were generated by the Commission or by another statutory agency and six were anonymous.
Since February 2011 it has concluded 179 cases. At the end of May there were 16 investigations open, seven of these were either a statutory inquiry or regulatory enquiry, which can result in legal action or the removal of trustees.
The report says that most concerns have so far been dealt with through a self-regulatory enquiry which typically involves the regulator supporting the trustees with advice and guidance.
Aubrey McCrory, the Commission’s head of compliance and corporate services, said: “Our experience has shown that most issues can be resolved by the charity trustees themselves, sometimes with the assistance of a mediation service or with guidance on the best way to resolve an issue or better manage their operations.”
He added that the Commission is “conducting a number of more serious investigations, which relate to allegations of mismanagement within charities”.
The regulator began investigating alleged mismanagement in February 2011 and published a similar report after it had received the first 100 concerns.
Tom McGrath, chief Charity Commissioner, said: “We are continuing to receive a steady stream of concerns about charities operating in Northern Ireland.”
He said that the majority of charities in Northern Ireland were well run and that: “Our report is aimed at supporting that work by highlighting lessons learned from some of our investigations work to help charity trustees make the right decisions around common areas of concern.”
The four areas highlighted by the latest report are:
- Transparency
- Conflicts of interest
- Defining membership
- Closing a charity
