Services

What can we do for you?

Illuminate Governance offers a range of governance, strategy and project management services to support charities of all sizes. 

Using that rare mix of experience gained at the charity regulator, as an in-house expert and an external adviser. 

Projects

Illuminate Governance believes charity law should be an enabler – used to help charities achieve their best. There are many tools that trustees could use to develop how they work, if only they had the time, know-how or confidence. 

Illuminate Governance can:
  • Give you guidance on projects that may be relevant to your organisation.
  • Develop legal advice into a strategy and fully fledged project plan, covering engagement with stakeholders, timescales, resources, risks and costs. 
  • Work with professional advisers to provide a full project management service, to offer clients that extra sparkle. 
Examples include: 
  • Changing your charity’s purposes and/or updating your governing document.
  • Unlocking restricted funds to use for new or existing activities.
  • Exploring the possibility of merging or working in partnership with another charity.
  • Supporting the development of an emerging or successor charity: providing guidance on potential legal structures, your governing document and the registration process; acting as a critical friend to review your business plan and registration application.

Governance Support

When was the last time your charity had a governance health-check? Does your governance reflect changes in the law, best practice and your organisation’s own development?

Illuminate Governance can: 
  • Undertake a tailored governance review to assess the effectiveness of your governance arrangements and highlight improvements; whether a full-scale review or focussing on one particular aspect.
  • Provide trustee training – for new trustees or as a refresher. This can include a tailored trustee handbook or code of conduct.
  • Conduct skills audits and Board appraisals to help you assess where there are gaps in what you need, and ensure your Board is working as a team.

Strategy Development

Can’t see the wood for the trees when it comes to developing your organisation’s strategy? This service is aimed at smaller and medium-sized charities, to ensure your trustees and staff are all working to the same goals and priorities.

Illuminate Governance can:

  • Facilitate an away day or strategy session(s) with trustees and key staff and/or volunteers.

  • Produce a strategy document complete with an action plan, risk assessment and how you’re going to measure progress and achievements.

  • Lead or support communications with your beneficiaries, donors and other stakeholders.

How We Work


Illuminate Governance offers flexibility and value for money options to suit your needs. 

We can provide:
  • Support on a consultancy basis - whether 1:1 or by drawing together a team of experts.
  • Interim in-house support to bolster your existing team of staff and/or trustees.
  • A partnership approach, working with external professional advisers including lawyers and accountants.
  • A point of contact for the Charity Commission: requesting legal consents; responding to regulatory concerns; sense-checking documents for review and/or filing. 

We also work with and recommend other consultants/firms including: 
Illuminate Governance will always tell you if you need to seek specialist advice from a lawyer or accountant and can help you obtain this as part of the package.  

Want to know more?

To see how we can make your organisation shine a little brighter
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