Governance Case Studies

When your Board needs an outside view

Not every governance problem needs a full review. Sometimes a board faces a specific issue: a legal structure that no longer fits, a subsidiary relationship that has become unclear, or a disagreement the board cannot resolve on its own.

These situations are rarely simple. They involve people as much as process and are hardest to work through internally precisely because the people involved are part of the picture. An independent adviser can ask the questions that are awkward for those involved and set out the options plainly to help the board reach a decision it can stand behind.

Much of our work is with hospices, but governance problems have a familiar shape across the charity sector. The examples below are drawn from work with charities of different types and sizes.

If your Board is working through something similar, David is happy to have an initial conversation in confidence.

The Community Heartbeat Trust aims to help and support communities in the correct provision of defibrillators in sustainable, resilient manner, underpinned by good governance. As part of their strategic development, they asked db associates to advise them around their legal structure and related governance issues. Ron Simpson, Chair, said; 

‘We were aware that several aspects of our existing legal status and operations needed to be updated, both for the charity itself and for our trading company. David provided a series of recommendations based on his knowledge of governance that have enabled the Board to clearly plan our way forward. His active engagement throughout the process was of great benefit and we are now looking forward to the next chapter in the development of the charity.’