Charities of all sizes can nominate their board for the Charity Governance Awards 2020, recognising the hard work of governing boards in the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector.

This will be the fifth year of Charity Governance Awards, organised by The Clothworkers’ Company; previously shortlisted charities include University of Bristol Students Union, shortlisted for Board Diversity and Inclusivity in 2019; Bristol-based mental health charity Off the Record won the Managing Turnaround award in 2017.

The categories of awards are:

• Board Diversity and Inclusivity – this could be diversity of age, cultural background, race, gender identity, sexuality, profession, or another factor. Your entry will show how diversity has contributed to the success of the organisation.
• Embracing Digital – not just social media, but wider marketing and communications, fundraising, service delivery, operations or governance. Show the wider impact these digital activities have had on the charity, thanks to the board’s involvement.
• Embracing Opportunity and Harnessing Risk – maybe your board has started working in a new way, trying a new financial model, or gathering advice for a major change.
• Improving Impact: 3 paid staff or fewer (including no paid staff) – smaller charities often get overlooked. Use data and evidence to show the social impact of your board, listening to service users and reaching more people.
• Improving Impact: 4-25 paid members of staff – again, it’s about social impact, but in a slightly bigger organisation. Show your board turns feedback into action, and that you can analyse the data or responses you get.
• Improving Impact: 26 or more paid members of staff – a board in a charity of this size will have more scope to try something innovative. Maybe your board teamed up with another organisation, or you’re rolling out a large-scale project after a successful pilot scheme.
• Managing Turnaround – this doesn’t have to be financial. Your charity may have struggled with staff retention, engagement or public reputation. Show how your board steered this recovery without losing sight of its values.

These awards are the perfect opportunity to thank your board of trustees for their hard work and commitment to your organisation.

In order to be eligible:

• Your charity must be registered with the Charity Commission, and must have been established before 31 December 2016.
• Your nomination can cover the main board’s work (not sub-committees) from 2014-2019.
• Nominations must be made by trustees, employees or volunteers of the charity, and signed off by the CEO or the chair of the board.

Nominations close on Wednesday 22 January 2020; click here to enter. Follow the hashtag #CharityGov20 to keep up to date with the awards.

If you’re an ambitious trustee and you’d like to improve your performance, why not book a place on Voscur’s Being an Even Better Board Member course? This is the follow-up to our popular Being a Good Board Member course, covering best practice in conflict resolution, strategic working, and much more.