X-rays look through to the supporting structures
An X-ray gives transparency and vision that cuts through and sees what is important in an organisation.
The end of the year is always a good time to take stock – to review what you’ve successfully completed, where things didn’t develop or complete as expected, or perhaps what new risks/opportunities appeared and needed to be dealt with.
This year’s Annual Return submission at the Charity Commission came with new sections on Governance, Safeguarding, and Policies [see below] which caused a bit of discussion on various forums about who might have a ‘social media policy’ or other new questions.
X-ray & Evaluation
It’s also a good time to x-ray the collated results from both the Charity Commission and Britain Yearly Meeting (if you’re a Quaker) or whatever overarching bodies you belong to, to see how others are doing and if you can learn anything from others.
Charity Commission: in 2018 74% of accounts were of acceptable quality.
Britain Yearly Meeting: That link takes you to the 2023compliance report. The new annual return link will be available shortly for 2024’s report.
Looking for signs of life
Policies and operations manuals full of procedures are only good if they are living documents that help to shape the culture of the organisation.
For example, if you have a diversity and inclusion policy – and a building decorated with rainbow badges and ‘we are safe’ poster, and yet continue hiring rooms to groups who state they are against such things, it’s hard to know what to believe.
At Yearly Meeting this year we heard that our discipline and corporate decisions don’t mean that there is unanimity, but that we have discerned a corporate leading. Accepting that, and helping others work through their emotions in love is hard but necessary work.
As Britain Yearly Meeting, we have minuted commitments in recent years: to care for our planet, to become an anti-racist church, to make reparations for historical injustices, to welcome and affirm those who are transgender, non-binary, and gender diverse. Much work has been done on all these by some individual Friends and Quaker meetings, as well as by our yearly meeting staff and committees. However, some have disagreed with the actions and approaches of others. This has been a cause of pain and anguish. We have heard in ministry that the strength of a church lies in how it is able to disagree with itself. In Quaker discernment, unity is not the same as unanimity. Minority views may well continue to exist. Among ourselves, we need to find kinder ground for our disagreements. Can we find joy? Can we bring joy?
Maintenance & Repair
As Trustees, you are in a unique place to look over all of the structures and groupings in the charity. Are there places where information should flow but doesn’t? Is there something that needs changing or a responsibility that now belongs more to another part of the organisation?
The Trustees Annual Report & Accounts (TARA) should have given you a snapshot and partial review of your charity – including how you met your charitable purposes. But have you taken time to clarify what you mean by the phrases in your governing document? Some are fairly obvious – if it states you should have a minimum of five Trustees for example, but others may be trickier. What exactly does:
i) strengthening the life and witness of Quaker meetings both in the area of xxxx Area Meeting and beyond;
ii) spreading the message of Quakers and interpreting and developing the thought and practice of the Religious Society;
iii) undertaking Quaker service for the relief of suffering at home and abroad;
…or whatever specific purposes your governing document states. Do members understand what the document says?
One of the themes from the Future of British Quakerism conference was a lack of clarity in passing on information. To both new attenders and existing members. Do you have a clear procedure for new attenders and members? Do you have a similar procedure for new role holders, ensuring a smooth handover and offering training and/or mentoring?
Have you looked at ways of encouraging cross charity engagement? Perhaps an informal AM shared meal before the business meeting, or some other gathering? Quaker Meeting Network’s infrastructure offer a forum for discussions and conversations, a place to store resources and share ideas and discussions.
If you answered no to one or several of these questions, it might be time to x-ray.
Preparing not Overloading
This isn’t suggested as ‘yet-another-thing’to be done, but instead as a way to prepare others to become more educated and involved. As someone commented to me, ‘those new Trustees have to come from somewhere!’
You don’t need to do this alone,
- Other Trustees may have ideas – either within your own group, or with others you are in contact with.
- Woodbrooke offer courses and bespoke enrichment, and say they’ll have a refreshed Becoming Friends resource available during 2025.
- Development Workers can help with building community and clarifying what you might want/need and connect you to others in their ‘patch’ or elsewhere.
- and of course MBS offers a range of educational resources, mentoring and free quarterly training sessions – not to mention fortnightly blog posts!
Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, and not laying accusations one against another; but praying one for another, and helping one another up with a tender hand.
Wendrie Heywood
MBS Founder
Next year we’re focusing on the “three C’s”—Communication, Community, and Collaboration—with a series of quarterly training workshops and insightful blog posts on these essential themes.
Are you looking to build a stronger community? Wondering how to set up the right foundations for growth? Could you benefit from tips to communicate more effectively with your members, or ways to ensure your staff and volunteers are truly on the same page? These are just a few of the areas we’ll explore, with practical advice on promoting positive change within your organisation.
To make this series even more valuable, we invite you to join us on this journey. Follow along for expert tips and strategies, and share any specific topics you’d like us to cover. Your input will help us tailor each workshop to meet your needs and make a lasting impact!
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