Free UK Charity Policy Templates

Free UK charity policy templates to create your own safeguarding, health and safety at work, data protection (GDPR) and other policies for charities required for compliance with Charity Commission guidance.  Follow the instructions below to login and download any of our 60+ downloadable free charity policy templates, including those less easy to find, such as anti money laundering, privacy, and internal financial controls policy templates.

Downloadable Policy Templates For Charities

The most recently added are in italics.

• Governance.  Board operating procedures, code of conduct, board reserved powers, board skills and experience, conflicts of interest policy and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
• Fundraising.  Acceptance & refusal of donations policy, fundraising due diligence & donor checklists, crypto fundraising, donation refunds, fundraising (volunteers), ethical fundraising, gifts in kind, grant making, grant agreement and pro bono company agreement.
• Finance.  Anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, cash handling, due diligence, expenses, fraud prevention, internal financial controls, investment, reserves, risk management policies and a risk register.
• HR. Bullying & harassment policy, charity code of conduct, dress code, expenses, sexual harassment, pay & remuneration, safeguarding, volunteer recruitment and selection, whistleblowing and workplace relationships.
  • There is also a download that lists and includes links to a wide range of HR policies, letters and templates produced by others that you can download for free.
  • Or ask the AI tech bunnies and they'll connect you directly to each one.
• Social Media. Social media group guidelines, social media and also a copyright use policy.
• International.  Staying safe overseas and staying safe overseas (high risk areas).
• H&SW.  H&SW policy statement, first aid at work, food safety and RIDDOR.
• Other.  Animal welfare, animal rehoming, artificial intelligence (AI), campaigning, complaints, data protection, environmental, serious incident reporting, speaker policy and agreement (including guidance on free speech), and a project & programme assessment template.

How to Download Our Charity Policy Templates

To download a charity policy template, register, then login. Click the AI bunny icon, then his Policies button, then typing in the one you want and he'll hop off and get it for you - watch the 2 min demo video on how to download policies. He can only download one at a time.

As you score the health check questionnaires, the system will make available (in the statement download area - bottom left of screen) the policies you might need as and when these are relevant to any given statement.

To download multiple policies, score the Governance ort People questionnaires until you come to a statement with POLICY DOWNLOADS in the text.  You can down load all policies from here.

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What Policies Does the Charity Commission Require?

The Charity Commission lists a series of policies that you complete as part of your annual return.  Not all may apply but, to be honest, it's a bit naff.  It looks like a policy list designed by a committee of  Civil Servants, which is probably what it is. You can download any of these by logging in the Charity Excellence.

Here's the list: risk management, investment, safeguarding, conflicting interests, volunteer management, complai8ns handling, paying staff, social media, financial reserves, external speakers, bullying, serious incident reporting, trustee expenses and campaigns and political activity.

What Policies Does a Charity Need for Staff?

You will always wish to think about any health and safety policies you might need and if you have staff a health and safety policy statement is a good idea may be a regulatory requirement. Equally, with staff, you'll need to think about policies such as grievance, disciplinary and capability.  The Acas website has lost of guidance, downloadable policy templates and a free help line.

What Charity Policies do Grant Makers Require?

If you are a grant maker, you should have a grant making policy.  Grant makers don't often specify policies they expect potential grantees to hold.  The most common one required is safeguarding.  If you work with children or vulnerable adults this is a must have anyway.  You can download both by logging in.

Charity Policies - Banking

The banks can be a real pain and may ask a whole series of detailed questions, when opening an account or a spart of tehri know your customer processes.  Particularly, if you work overseas in areas such as Pakistan, Somalia or Afghanistan.  I've written a guide with links to people to help you, templates etc. I've also created charity policies for anti money laundering, anti bribery and due diligence (for sanctions) that you can download by logging in.

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Charity Policy and Procedures FAQs

• What policies are required for Charity Commission compliance?  The Charity Commission doesn’t publish a list of policies required but does publish guidance on specific issues such as safeguarding, reserves, conflict of interest and risk management.
• What finance policies should a charity have?  There is no definitive list of charity finance policies, but internal financial controls and reserves are probably the most common.  Others include cash handling, schemes of delegation, investment, money laundering.
• Do charities need a financial reserves policy?  Trustees need to set aside sufficient funding to protect against reductions in income or to take advantage of an opportunity.  A reserves policy is a useful way to do that and is usually a standard policy in all but the smallest charities.
• Do charities need a health and safety policy?  The H&SW Act requires organisations with 5 or more staff to have a written H&SW policy. However, charities with fewer should think about having one and should have any specific H&SW policies needed to keep everyone safe.
• Do all charities have to have a safeguarding policy?  Your charity must have a safeguarding policy if you work with children or vulnerable adults and trustees should consider other safety policies, such as H&SW, Bullying & Harassment and Whistleblowing.
• Do charities need a data protection (GDPR) policy? The Data Protection Act applies to all organisations that process personal data, including volunteers and donors.  A data protection policy helps you to comply with the Law.
• Do charities need an anti money laundering policy? There is no legal requirement to have a money laundering policy, but it can be useful for charities working overseas and banks are increasingly asking for one.
• Do charities need an anti bribery policy?  It is not a legal requirement to have an anti bribery policy but the UK anti bribery act applies globally and, if you work overseas, it's best practice to have one, particularly if you work in high risk countries.  The banks are increasingly asking some charities for these.
• When should charity policies be reviewed?  There should be a regular programme of reviewing all policies with key policies reviewed by trustees annually.
• When should charity policies be updated?  Policies should be updated when the charity changes how it works, starts new activities or there is a change in the Law or regulator’s guidance.

This Charity Policy Resource Doesn't Constitute Professional Opinion

I am not an accountant, nor a lawyer and no advice can be applicable to all organisations, in all circumstances, so this resource is no more than a guide to understanding.  I've summarised the regulatory guidance and augmented this with my own experience and Internet research, but I am not competent to provide professional advice.  I have included links to the source guidance to enable you to check this yourself and, if you think you might need professional advice, register, then login and use the Help Finder directory to find pro bono support. Everything is free.