For anyone working in the world of charities and over 30, you might remember a time when the Charity Commission rarely showed its teeth and when it did (unless you had been very, very bad) it was usually followed with ‘try better next time’.

The Commission has just published its 2024 - 2029 Strategy. It has five priorities, one of which is ‘we will support charities to get it right’ but take a closer look, and you will see that those words are followed by ‘but take robust action where we see wrongdoing and harm.’ 

The Charity Commission as a proactive regulator is well and truly here to stay. It means that although most trustees are volunteers, taking on the role in addition to their day job and sometimes with little knowledge of charity law, safeguarding, governance, company law, data protection, CQC regulation, SORP, the Fundraising Code of Practice etc, a proactive regulator is holding them accountable for failures in any of these areas and more. 

On the one hand, it is great to know that the charity sector is going to be more accountable and possibly better run but on the other hand will this be at the risk of the entrepreneurial spirit, the individual who is free to try something new on a 'wing and a prayer'? 

Only time will tell but in the meantime, the mantra appears to be ‘regulation, regulation, regulation..!’