LEADERSHIP & GOOD GOVERNANCE AWARDS 2021

Charity Boards Recognised for Good Leadership, Governance & Commitment

The Leadership and Good Governance Awards, organised by VSB Foundation in partnership with Volunteer Now and CO3, celebrate voluntary organisations which are working hard to improve their governance.

At the Awards Presentation in the Titanic Hotel Belfast, three worthy organisations were recognised for winning the Leadership and Good Governance Awards within their categories.  The organisations were:

• Nexus (Large Organisation)
• Relate (Medium Organisation) with Headliners as runner up
• University of Atypical (Small Organisation) with Replay Productions as runner up

The judging panel commended organisations for a commitment to diversity, collaboration and flexibility in a very challenging year.  A number of these organisations had shown a strong commitment to developing their governance and building the resilience of the organisation against the backdrop of the pandemic.  They recognised that success in operational delivery is built on strong governance.

Denise Hayward, Chief Executive, Volunteer Now said:

“Congratulations to all three organisations on winning this year’s Leadership and Good Governance Awards within their categories.  It is great to see organisations prioritising the need for Leadership and Good Governance in a rapidly changing environment.  Good governance enables charities to be able to deliver for their beneficiaries – well done to all the nominees.”

Nora Smith, CEO, CO3 commented:

“The Governance and Leadership Awards have substantially grown in profile.  It is the perfect platform to recognise and reward leadership and good governance at Board level.  Covid-19 has provided the sector with many challenges, the importance of good governance,  and showcasing how robust governance structures ensure that charities can lead through a pandemic was clearly evident  this year.  We all know that charity governance makes a huge difference and by sharing examples of truly inspirational boards through these Awards it is fantastic recognition of their leadership, commitment and hard work.”

To find out more on Good Governance, please go to the Governance Section on our website or go to www.diycommitteeguide.org.  Click for more information on the Good Governance Awards.

Find out more information on the CO3 Trustee Network here.

To find out more about leadership development training, networking opportunities and governance support available for third sector leaders and trustees, please visit our website www.co3.bz  find us on Twitter, @CO3updates, or look us up on LinkedIn, CO3 Chief Officers 3^rd Sector.

2020 WINNERS

Large Organisation  –  Action Cancer
Medium Organisaiton  –  Leprosy Mission
Small Organisation  –  Thrive Audience Development

Background to the Good Governance Award

The awards have been established as a result of a key recommendation in the Giving Leadership, Giving Time research published in December 2015 by the VSB Foundation and Volunteer Now.

The Good Governance Awards showcase how good governance and driving social change are essentially interlinked and provide an opportunity to celebrate what is best in the sector.  There are three awards and categories include:

1. One for smaller organisations with an income of under £500,000, one for medium sized organisations with an income of £501,000 – £999,999 and one for larger organisations with an income of over £1m
2. They must be registered with or having expressed the intention to register with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland or previously recognised as a charity via HMRC
3. The nomination process is for the whole board and not for one particular individual as good governance is a collective responsibility

Organisations will self-nominate outlining how they have implemented the Code of Good Governance, in particular Principles One and Two.

Principle 1:  An effective board will provide good governance and leadership by understanding its role and responsibilities.

Principle 2:  An effective board will provide good governance and leadership by working well both as individuals and as a team.

Large organisations will also include detail in their nomination form about how they meet Principle 3 of the Code:

An effective board will provide good governance and leadership by ensuring delivery of organisational purpose.