The Board of Trustees consider that through their strategic planning and decision making in the year ended 30 April 2021 they have acted in a way that is most likely to promote the success of the charity for the benefit of its stakeholders as a whole. This year’s strategic planning process undertaken in February 2021 focused on the medium and long term development of the charity including strengthening its partnership working with the aim of enhancing the delivery of its charitable objectives. The Board recognises the importance of stakeholder engagement and participation in the achievement of these objectives.
Employees: A key part of our mission statement is to provide a personal service for our clients, and we recognise that our employees are central to that. It is important to the charity that all employees feel valued and fully engaged in the delivery of our mission. To facilitate this, we undertake regular team and organisational meetings and briefings as well as individual appraisals and feedback sessions. COVID-19 has had a significant impact on working life and we have focused on ensuring that staff can work safely and effectively from home while maintaining support and feedback systems for employee welfare.
Clients: Our charitable objectives as detailed within the Reports and Financial Statements are fully focused on facilitating the charitable donations of our clients, putting them at the heart of the work we do. We undertake a continuous programme of client engagement to ensure that our current service delivery meets their requirements and to support them to explore opportunities to develop and grow their charitable giving activities. We responded well this year to support client initiatives in relation to COVID-19, developing and delivering new donation schemes rapidly.
Suppliers: We view our suppliers as key partners in the delivery of our services and we engage regularly with our banking and technology suppliers to review performance, plan developments and stay abreast of progress and innovation in their areas of expertise. Our ongoing systems and infrastructure development is very much in collaboration with our suppliers whose contribution is highly valued. In addition to this, we place expectations on our key suppliers that they undertake business in a transparent manner and have in place policies such as a Modern Slavery Policy and Statement which demonstrate their commitment to this important aspect of ethical and responsible business practice.
Community & Environment: Charities Trust contributes to the public benefit by adding value to the charitable sector at minimal cost. It enables and encourages charitable giving by providing a range of products and services which make giving easier for employers and employees. Any surpluses generated are reinvested in the charity to further this work. This year we have played a particularly valuable role in supporting ad-hoc COVID-19 charitable appeals and extensive corporate donations. In terms of the environment we are particularly aware of our responsibilities and although our office footprint is small, we engage in a number of recycling schemes to minimise the environmental impact of our work. Business travel is primarily through public transport and we will be looking at flexible home working arrangements going forward to help reduce the environmental impact of staff commuting.
Business Conduct & Fair Practice: The charity takes its obligations to stakeholders very seriously and endeavours to conduct its business to consistently high standards while treating all stakeholders fairly. Charities Trust supports this via a skilled, experienced, and effective Board of Directors and Senior Management Team. Working with the operational management team, this structure promotes a culture of openness, professionalism, and ethical practice.
As detailed in the s172(1) statement above, Charities Trust recognises the critical importance of its stakeholder relationships and the role that clients, employees and suppliers play in enabling the charity to deliver its objectives for the wider public and community benefit. These relationships are highly valued, and we continue to work to enhance them through ongoing effective engagement.