Charity Commission Annual Public Meeting reflects on upcoming challenges and opportunities

Posted: 02/12/2024

The Charity Commission held its Annual Public Meeting on 26 November 2024.

In his final speech as chair of the Charity Commission, Orlando Fraser KC confirmed that his term will end in April 2025 and reflected upon his time in the position. He set out his three key areas of focus, which were as follows:

• charities and political campaigning, particularly in the lead up to the 2024 general election;
• his mission to encourage a new age of philanthropic giving in our country; and
• increasing support for international aid charities. 

Fraser explained that since 2022, the Charity Commission has demonstrated a willingness and appetite to use its powers without fear or favour. He referred to the recent action taken against the Captain Tom Foundation, Fashion for Relief, and Burke’s Peerage and the Mahfouz Foundation, which he said shows that ‘fame, celebrity and connections are no protection against the law or our regulatory oversight’. Finally, he touched upon the role of the Charity Commission being more than just supportive in providing guidance and permissions, but also as a voice for the sector. Here he gave the example of the Commission having increasingly used its voice to hold banks to account ‘for their often-poor service to charities’. 

Charity Commission board member, Shrenik Davda, expanded upon the issues charities are facing when dealing with banks, giving examples of charity accounts being suspended and/or closed as well as payments being delayed. Having previously worked within the banking sector, Davda provided insight from the perspective of banks, explaining that they have stringent rules to follow regarding anti-money laundering measures and ‘Know Your Client’ (KYC), which if not adhered to can lead to big fines. He expanded by saying that charities therefore need to be aware of the importance of keeping banks up to date on any changes to their work, since timely and accurate communication from both sides will create a better working relationship. Davda ended by saying that banks could certainly do more to support charities, and referred to the charity Shelter, whose bank had enabled homeless people to open accounts without a home address (which was acting as a common hinderance). 

David Holdsworth, chief executive of the Charity Commission, then referred to challenges the sector is facing:

1. financial resilience – charities are faced with the triple squeeze of increasing costs, reduced funding, and higher demand;
2. decrease in volunteering – the levels of volunteering have dropped drastically since the pandemic; and
3. Charity Commission capacity being limited – the complexity of the matters the Commission is dealing with is increasing. 

He then moved on to sector opportunities, which include the increasing role and relevance of charities in our daily lives, and how the sector has been agile and innovative in dealing with changes. Holdsworth thanked charities for the vital role they play and encouraged them to continue being transparent when meeting reporting requirements, saying to charities, ‘Don’t be shy about your impact.’ 

The meeting ended with a Q&A session, giving attendees an opportunity to ask questions on issues such as the My Charity Commission Account, banking frustrations, and public trust in the sector, with Orlando Fraser saying that trust in the charity sector is now at a 10-year high ‘and on an upward trajectory’. 

It was good to note that as well as celebrating the successes in the sector, the Commission was open when reflecting on difficulties such as the roll out of the My Charity Commission Account, which it said it was constantly making amendments to where needed. 

As a team, we look forward to continuing our working relationship with the Commission and finding out who will be appointed as Orlando Fraser’s successor.

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