Governance in Social Enterprise

... in 20 minutes!

Adrian Ashton

www.adrianashton.co.uk

But first some thanks...

In less than 20 minutes I'll cover a subject that...

...has over 39,900,000 hits on google

... has over a dozen different codes & standards

Adrian Ashton

NOT another diagram

Adrian Ashton

- Why bother spending time on this?

- What influences it?

- How do you make it work?

- How do you involve people?

- How do you pay for it?

Adrian Ashton

How do you spell governance?

P – Power

A - Accountability

R - Relationships

Adrian Ashton

Where can it go wrong?Minority in charge

– less people become involved as they perceive 'usual suspects' running the show

'Mission drift' – people get less involved because they become

disillusioned

Illegal actions...- most corporate failures in sector attributed to

governance failingsAdrian Ashton

What influences it? - internal

- Legal form (x13)powers of regulator (x4)

- Board members

- Staff

- MembersAdrian Ashton

What influences it? - external

- Where the money comes from

- Legislation

- Expectations of others

Adrian Ashton

How to do 'good governance'?

- Comprehensive induction for ALL

- Regular reviews and reflection

- Looking at how others do it

Adrian Ashton

Involving people in governance

- Opportunities at ALL levels

- Support (training, expenses, feedback)

- Transparency and openness at each level

Adrian Ashton

Does it all sound too expensive?

- Governance is a legal requirement

- Governance can make or break an enterprise

- It can and should be budgeted!

Adrian Ashton

What now?

- Navel gazing

- Talk to each other

- Seek support

Keep thinking about it!

Adrian Ashton

The (my) 2 golden rules:

1. NEVER choose your legal form because of someone else

2. ALWAYS keep thinking about your P,A,R.

Adrian Ashton