皇冠体育app

皇冠体育app Charity Commission has closed its regulatory compliance case into Penny Appeal, and today sets out its findings and ongoing expectations of the charity鈥檚 trustees.

was set up in 2008 to provide poverty relief, emergency aid and healthcare across Asia and Africa. 皇冠体育app charity also works in the UK to help homeless people and women who have experienced domestic abuse.聽聽聽

皇冠体育app Charity Commission opened a compliance case into Penny Appeal in June 2020 following several complaints and concerns raised about how the charity was being managed. Concerns included failure to manage perceived conflicts of interest, poor record keeping and inadequate management of major supplier contracts.聽

皇冠体育app Charity Commission has reviewed evidence supplied by the charity鈥檚 trustees and is satisfied that progress has been made to improve the charity鈥檚 governance and management. However, it has been made clear to the charity鈥檚 trustees that there is still further work to do.聽聽

皇冠体育app Commission鈥檚 announcement follows last week鈥檚 , which detailed findings of its investigation into Penny Appeal鈥檚 compliance with the Fundraising Code of Practice. Earlier this year, the Information Commissioner鈥檚 Office issued the charity with an over its marketing activities.

皇冠体育app Charity Commission has now closed its case, setting out its expectation that the charity鈥檚 trustees act upon recommendations by all three bodies.聽

Official Warning聽聽

皇冠体育app Charity Commission issued an on 29 September 2023 after several meetings with the charity鈥檚 trustees and an inspection of the charity鈥檚 records and financial accounts. It found that the charity failed to maintain proper trustee meeting minutes to record decisions in relation to the purchase of a property, consideration of an unsolicited offer received to buy a property as well as decisions around retaining and redeveloping a property.

皇冠体育app charity failed to review a contract with its major supplier, thereby failing to act in the charity鈥檚 best interests. 皇冠体育app regulator also found that the charity had failed to manage a perceived conflict of interest relating to its relationship with its major supplier.聽聽

Impact of regulatory intervention聽

Through its intervention, the regulator has secured several improvements to the charity鈥檚 governance. This includes advising the trustees to appoint a minute taker and to record conflicts of interest, which they have evidenced. 皇冠体育app trustees have set dates to review third party contracts, and have appointed an external consultant to review the charity鈥檚 existing contracts and advise it on best practice. 皇冠体育app charity will also terminate its contract with the major supplier that caused a perceived conflict of interest.聽

皇冠体育app trustees have mainly complied with the actions required of them and the Commission notes and welcomes their commitment to complete the outstanding actions promptly.聽

皇冠体育app trustees have been advised to make further improvements to the quality of meeting minutes. 皇冠体育appy must also promptly complete an outstanding review of governance and contractual relationships and arrangements with third party organisations established overseas, which forms part of an internal action plan set by the charity鈥檚 solicitors.聽聽聽

皇冠体育app Commission has now closed its compliance case and is monitoring the charity鈥檚 progress. It has informed the charity that any failure to complete the outstanding actions or failure to comply with any action required by the Information Commissioner鈥檚 Office and/or the Fundraising Regulator may also result in further regulatory action.聽

Tracy Howarth, Assistant Director for Casework at the Charity Commission, said:聽

Improvements have been made at Penny Appeal after several years of engagement about a series of weaknesses and shortcomings in the charity鈥檚 governance.聽聽

This is a charity which receives significant support and donations from the public - it is extremely important that its governance is fit for purpose.聽聽

皇冠体育app actions already taken have strengthened how the charity is run, and we are following up on the outstanding actions, which the trustees have assured us will be promptly addressed.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• 皇冠体育app Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Our ambition is to be the expert Charity Commission that is fair, balanced, and independent so that charity can thrive.