Set out your organisation's purpose and governance approach with a charity charter

It is commonly suitable for charities, charitable projects and other not-for-profit organisations that want a clearer document setting out purpose, governance expectations and internal structure. That may include newer organisations trying to formalise their framework, or established charities whose current charter no longer reflects how they operate. It can also help where trustees or management want a document that better explains the organisation's aims and responsibilities without turning immediately to a full constitutional rewrite. The key question is whether the charter has a distinct role in your governance setup.

The short answer is that the scope matters more than the label. A copied precedent may use broad statements about purpose and governance that sound sensible but do not match your organisation's actual activities, structure or relationship with other documents. That can lead to overlap with the constitution, uncertainty about responsibilities or wording that is too vague to be useful internally. In some cases, the charter also drifts away from how the organisation presents itself publicly. A legal review helps test whether the document is coherent, practical and aligned with the rest of your governance materials.

A board charter is generally narrower and concentrates on how the board operates, including roles, meetings, delegations and conduct. A charity charter can be broader in tone and purpose. It may speak to the organisation's aims, governance approach, internal framework and the principles that sit behind how it is run. Some organisations need both documents because they perform different functions. If there is already a constitution in place, the charity charter should complement it rather than duplicate or contradict it. Part of the service is checking that the document has a clear job to do.

Yes. Existing materials are often the best starting point because they show how the organisation currently describes its purpose and governance. We can review a draft charter, constitution or related governance documents to help shape the charity charter and spot inconsistencies. For example, your constitution may contain formal rules, while the charter is intended to express broader organisational expectations or principles. If those documents pull in different directions, the wording may need adjustment. If a wider governance update is needed, we can outline that separately once the charter position is clearer.

After the draft is prepared, you review it internally to check that the wording reflects the organisation's intended structure, language and governance approach. The next step is usually approval through your own internal process, which may involve trustees, directors or members depending on the role the charter is meant to play. This service covers the charter work itself. It does not include indefinite follow-on support or ongoing representation after completion, but if the project later expands into related governance documents or amendments, that can be scoped as a separate piece of work.

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