Taylor Vinters - Solicitors

Taylor Vinters hosted two Charities Masterclasses with a very topical theme.  The sessions were entitled How to Avoid the Fireworks: trustees and senior staff working successfully together and discussed the sometimes contentious subject of the relationships between trustee boards and charity chief executives.  Facilitated by two leading figures in the third sector, Joe Saxton from nfpSynergy and Janet Turner QC, head of the firm's not for profit practice, the session posed some interesting questions about the good and bad aspects of these relationships.

Charities from across the region discussed the positive and negative experiences and shared ideas about topics as wide ranging as trustee 'agendas' to managing over-enthusiastic expectations from CEO's.  Joe Saxton, former chair of the Institute of Fundraising talked about how an effective relationship between the two "sides" can make or break an organisation.  "It is vital that trustees understand their role and are given specific objectives within an organisation.  It is equally important that communication between the executive team and the trustee board flow both ways.  I hope that tonight we have given the delegates some practical suggestions about how they can harmonise relationships."

Janet Turner was delighted that so many organisations attended the masterclasses, "we held two sessions so that people from the same organisation need not attend the same meeting and we were surprised by the candour of some of the delegates.  We wanted to offer practical solutions to real problems and from the feedback we have received from the delegates, we were able to do this."

Further masterclasses are planned for 2010 and if you would like to receive further information, please email alison.gamble@taylorvinters.com