Charities invest so that they can further their charitable aims.
They can invest in a number of ways to achieve their aims, and there are specific legal duties and decision making processes attached to each.
In our updated guidance, Charities and Investment Matters: A guide for trustees (CC14), we concentrate on financial investment and programme related investment. The guidance now also includes some guidance on ‘mixed motive’ investment. This is another approach to investing and is an emerging area of interest for some charities.
Trustees must be able to show how an investment is in the best interests of the charity. Different rules apply depending on what the charity is doing.
Trustees are unlikely to be criticised for their decisions or adopting a particular investment policy if they can demonstrate that they have:
- considered the relevant issues
- taken advice where appropriate
- reached a reasonable decision
See also: