Rethinking Charity Closure

Overview

Charity closures have always been a fact of life, and now in these challenging times, they are expected to increase. It’s every trustee’s nightmare – but should it be? Charity closure is so often framed as a failure rather than a natural occurrence in the life cycle of a charity or a positive choice.  Continuing is not always the right choice. Closing can honour achievement or be a springboard for reinvention and new energy.  

So great are negative feelings surrounding closure, like fear, anxiety and guilt, that it can be hard to have open and timely conversations. This can lead to paralysis or mean that important conversations and honest appraisal are avoided. Yet conversations that include the possibility of closure can also be a spur to change that makes continuance possible.   

Join us to explore how you as Chair can break down these taboos and embrace opportunities to make positive choices and reduce the risk of disorderly closure, and negative impacts on trustees, staff, your mission and most importantly those who rely on your charity.   

This event brings together three people with insight and expertise on closing charities. They offer practical hands-on experience and will share their insights on how to open up conversations about closure, and if it is the right course, how to navigate it well.  

Our guests are: 

Bev Garside, is a qualified Change Manager and founder of the Female Alchemist. She specialises in individual, cultural, and organisational change, and has worked to support a variety of charities in trouble. Bev believes that with the right framework and support, change can be a positive experience for the whole organisation. ‘Real growth happens when you leave comfort zones’ she says.  

Iona Lawrence is founder and coordinator of Stewarding Loss which seeks to remove fear and stigma from closures and to ensure the sector puts as much into charity endings as it does to beginnings. She has produced many useful resources on closure including a toolkit and has worked with several charities to help them close well. As founding Director of the Jo Cox Foundation she led an organisation which at its outset was a time-limited foundation. 

Judith Miller is a qualified accountant and partner at Sayer Vincent.  As well as managing a portfolio of audit clients, she advises on governance and risk issues and works with boards and committees to help them develop governance practices, financial performance management and risk management. She has been trustee and treasurer at Small Charities Coalition for more than 8 years and has played a key role in navigating SCC’s closure in March 2022.  

This event will take the form of a Q&A with questions initially from our CEO Ros Oakley to Bev, Iona and Judith and we’ll then open it up for questions from Chairs and Vice Chairs. Due to the widespread interest in this event, we are also opening it up to Trustees and Chief Executives. 

 What to expect

The session will be held over the online platform Zoom using the webinar format which allows you to only view the speakers. There will be an opportunity to ask questions using the Q&A function during the session and there will be additional time for questions and discussion at the end. 

We aim to be inclusive and know that some people have different needs. If you need a reasonable adjustment for an event, please let us know what you need when completing the booking form and we will contact you about how we can help. You can view our reasonable adjustment policy here.

Book your place: