The LGF is a registered charity fighting for and supporting lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

The LGF Board

The LGF Board

One third of the Board stands down every year to allow for fresh elections. Once elected the Trustee’s term of Office is set at 3 years, but any retiring Trustee can stand for re-election.

As a minimum requirement all trustees have agreed their obligations to:

  • Uphold the values and objectives of the LGF;
  • Give adequate time and energy to their duties as a trustee;
  • Act with integrity, and avoid or declare personal conflicts of interest; and
  • Not act on their own on behalf of the Board or on the business of the LGF without the proper authority of the Board.

The Role of the Board

The Board of Trustees has the following responsibilities:

  • Ensuring people within the organisation are clear about why the organisation exists, its overall objectives and purpose, and constitutional and legal limits.
  • Setting policy and ensuring its implementation.
  • Setting strategic and long-term objectives and priorities and developing the policies, which relate to them.
  • Setting medium and short-term objectives.
  • Deciding whether the organisation should undertake new projects or activities and developing policies, which would relate to them.
  • Interpreting and adapting policy when existing activity changes.
  • Helping the Chief Executive, staff and volunteers to determine how the organisation should carry out its activities.
  • Ensuring that there are proper procedures for monitoring and evaluating provision and use of activities, services and facilities.

To help deal effectively with these responsibilities the Board delegates some of its authority, in varying amounts, to the Chief Executive, individual trustees (i.e. The Chair) and its own Sub Committees.

To manage its affairs when not sitting, the Board have four Officers: The Chair, The Vice–Chair, The Secretary and The Treasurer. Each position has a term of office of one year.

The full Board meets quarterly, but it’s Sub Committees (Fundraising, Finance, Remuneration and Governance) often meet monthly.

Trustees also Chair and sit on the CEO’s Working Groups (Human Resources & Performance Management).

To fulfil their role the Trustees of the LGF need to have a diverse range of skills, experience and knowledge which are needed to run the organisation effectively including experience in areas such as:

  • Effective strategic leadership and team work;
  • Knowledge of the organisations beneficiaries and users;
  • Governance, general finance and business management;
  • Human Resources and diversity; and
  • Other specific skills which may be required e.g. fundraising, health or legal.


The Board will always aim to have a diverse group of Trustees which is broadly representative of the community and membership it serves.

The Partnership Model

The Lesbian and Gay Foundation is run by a ‘team at the top’ comprising Trustees, Chair and the Chief Executive; each having clearly defined role definitions.

The relationship between the Chief Executive and any individual member of the Board is collegiate not hierarchical. As the Chief Executive is accountable only to the full Board, and as no Trustee has authority individually, the Chief Executive and the Board of Trustees are equals.

The interdependence between trustees and senior managers is not only a sensible response to the difficulty of making charities work well in practice; it also recognises that whilst trustees have legal responsibility for all of the charity’s activities, both trustees and senior managers should consider themselves morally responsible for the way in which the charity conducts itself. A good example of this partnership work is the LGF Operational Plan which produced by the senior managers under clear guidance of the Board.
Compliance

The Board will, at all times, act in accordance with the Charities Act 1993 and other legislation as appropriate to fulfil its statutory duties and responsibilities including:

  • Our own governing document
  • Charity and Company Law; (Charity Commission website)
  • Financial accounts and provident Law;
  • Employment Law;
  • Health and Safety legislation;
  • Data protection;
  • Anti discrimination legislation; and
  • Any other legislation, which may apply.

Governance Performance 2007/08

  • The Trustee’s have accomplished the following notable achievements last year:
  • The development and implementation of a comprehensive Governance Manual.
  • A 360Ëš Review of the meetings schedule.
  • Successfully updating and improving trustee recruitment and induction.
  • Developed an over-aching Forward Governance Agenda.
  • Introduced a comprehensive Balanced Scorecard.
  • Ensured the LGF met all statutory requirements and deadlines and worked towards achieving greater transparency and accountability.
  • Introduced an annual staff and volunteer satisfaction survey.