Board Minutes/Resolutions for Charities: Unincorporated Charity
Board Minutes/Resolutions: Unincorporated Charity
- Unincorporated Charity: Trustee Board Minutes – Ordinary Meetings
- Trustees' Approval by Written Resolution: Charitable Trust
- Trustees' Approval by Written Resolution: Unincorporated Charitable Association
- Trustees’ delegation of signing authority (unincorporated charity)
- Board Minutes – Appointment of a Committee by Trustees of a Charitable Trust
- Board Minutes – Appointment of Trustee Committee by Trustees of Unincorporated Charitable Association
Board Minutes/Resolutions for Charities: Unincorporated Charity is part of Corporate. Just £38.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Corporate for 1 year.
Frequently Asked Questions
We are a small unincorporated charity. Do we really need formal minutes?
Yes, arguably more than an incorporated charity does. An unincorporated charity has no separate legal personality: trustees act personally and carry personal liability, so the minute recording who decided what, on what basis, is your main protection if a decision is later questioned. The Commission expects decision records from every charity regardless of size. The ordinary meeting minutes template here is deliberately light enough for a volunteer secretary to keep up.
Can trustees of a charitable trust or association decide things in writing between meetings?
Only if your governing document allows it, and the norm for written decisions of unincorporated trustees is agreement of them all. Trust deeds are often stricter than association constitutions, some require decisions at meetings unless the deed says otherwise, so check before relying on the written route. This sub-folder provides separate written resolution templates for a charitable trust and for an unincorporated charitable association, reflecting the different documents.
Who can sign contracts and documents for an unincorporated charity?
The trustees themselves: with no legal personality, the charity cannot sign, so trustees contract personally on its behalf. Boards commonly authorise one or two trustees to sign routine documents, recorded in a delegation of signing authority minute naming the individuals and limits. Remember the signers bind themselves and their co-trustees, so keep delegations narrow and reviewed. For property and long-term commitments take advice; incorporation may be worth considering. The delegation template here covers the recording.
Can we set up a sub-committee to run part of our charity's work?
Usually yes, if your governing document permits committees, and the appointment should be minuted with membership, remit and reporting duties. In an unincorporated charity the committee acts under the trustees' authority; responsibility stays with the trustee body, and liability follows the trustees rather than the committee. Separate templates here cover committee appointment by trustees of a charitable trust and by an unincorporated charitable association, matching the wording to your structure.