Policies for Charities
The policy document templates in this subfolder are listed below. Further policy documents are available in other subfolders as follows:
- Charities Miscellaneous: Charity Volunteers - Volunteer Home Working Policy (Charities)
- Charities Administration: Charity Expenses Claims - Charity Employees Expenses Policy
- Charities Administration: Charity Expenses Claims - Charity Trustees Expenses Policy
- Charities Miscellaneous: Charity Volunteers - Charity Volunteer Expenses Policy
- Charity Fundraising and Finance: Charity Grants, Loans - Charity Grant Making Policy
- Charity Fundraising and Finance: Charity Fundraising: Miscellaneous - Charity Fundraising Whistleblowing Policy
- Charity Governance: Safeguarding Policies for Charities: Safeguarding Policy For Small Charity (No child contact)
- Charity Governance: Safeguarding Policies for Charities: Safeguarding Policy For Small Charity (Child contact)
- Charity Governance: Safeguarding Policies for Charities: Safeguarding Policy For Medium Charity (No child contact)
- Charity Governance: Safeguarding Policies for Charities: Safeguarding Policy For Medium Charity (Child contact)
- Conflict of Interest Policy for a Charitable Company Limited By Guarantee
- Conflict of Interest Policy for a Charitable Incorporated Organisation
- Internal Financial Controls Policy for a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee
- Internal Financial Controls Policy for a Charitable Incorporated Organisation
- Internal Financial Controls Policy for a Small (Unincorporated) Charity
Policies for Charities is part of Corporate. Just £38.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Corporate for 1 year.
Frequently Asked Questions
We are a small charity with no policies at all. Where do we start?
Start with the four the Charity Commission most expects: safeguarding if you work with children or adults at risk, internal financial controls, trustee conflicts of interest and an expenses policy. Add whistleblowing and complaints as you grow. Adopt each by a trustee resolution, minute it and review annually. The templates in this sub-folder are drafted for small and medium charities, so adoption is an afternoon's work rather than a project.
Does the Charity Commission actually check whether we have these policies?
Yes, in two ways. The annual return asks registered charities to confirm which key policies and procedures they have, so the absence is formally recorded each year. And when something goes wrong, a complaint, a serious incident or an inquiry, the Commission's first questions are usually what policies existed and whether they were followed. A policy adopted but ignored can be worse than none, so pair each template with a minuted review date.
Is a safeguarding policy legally compulsory for our charity?
If your charity works with children or adults at risk, treat it as compulsory: the Commission regards safeguarding as a governance priority for every charity and expects trustees working with vulnerable groups to have proper policies, checks and reporting routes. Safeguarding failures are also squarely within serious incident reporting, and incidents may need police referral. Even charities without direct contact should assess their exposure. The safeguarding policy template here covers the expected ground.
What do internal financial controls actually involve for a charity our size?
Proportionate separation and oversight: two signatories or dual authorisation on payments, someone other than the recorder reconciling the bank, clear cash handling rules, expenses approved by someone other than the claimant and the board seeing regular financial reports. The Commission's guidance stresses controls must operate in reality, not just on paper. The internal financial controls policy here implements that guidance at SME charity scale.
Can trustees claim expenses, and do we need a policy for that?
Yes, trustees can be reimbursed legitimate out of pocket expenses, travel, postage, childcare to attend meetings, and that is not trustee payment. Paying trustees for their role or services is a different matter needing specific authority. A written policy keeps the boundary clean: what is claimable, evidence required and who approves. Separate expenses policies for trustees, employees and volunteers are signposted from this sub-folder so each group has clear rules.