Penny Appeal Update

Penny Appeal’s response to the Charity Commission’s Notice 29th September 2023

The board of Trustees of Penny Appeal acknowledge and accept the three findings of the Charity Commission warning dated the 29th September 2023.

In its correspondence the Charity Commission has recognised that Penny Appeal has been engaging with the Commission in a constructive manner.

The board of Trustees of Penny Appeal are committed to addressing the findings of the Charity Commission.

We can confirm that the current board of Trustees have already ensured that the three findings have already been substantially addressed and corrective actions put in place to ensure Penny Appeal operates to the highest standards of corporate governance.

The Board of Trustees regret that these issues ever arose in the past but are committed to building a stronger organisation which provides the highest levels of accountability and transparency.

In relation to the specific findings the following steps have been taken:

1. Penny Appeal own two properties and these will be retained as long-term assets which will assist the charity to fulfil its charitable objectives. Both properties generate a positive recurrent income
for the charity and the Penny Appeal head office is located in one of the properties.

2. Comprehensive and robust procurement, tendering and contracting policies and procedures have been put in place by the Board of Trustees. These are overseen by the board appointed audit,
finance and risk committee who also engage an independent internal audit team. All contracts go through a rigorous process with the appropriate level of board oversight.

3. The board of Trustees note that the Charity Commission did not find any conflicts of interest during their engagement with Penny Appeal.

However, for the avoidance of doubt and to ensure that there is no perception of any conflict of interest the trustees have commissioned external experts to design a detailed conflicts of interest policy. This has been implemented throughout the organisation with the trustees and senior leaders attending relevant training and workshops.

The unwavering commitment of the Board of Trustees of Penny Appeal is to learn from past experiences and to instill trust and confidence among all stakeholders by completing all of the corrective actions
identified by the Charity Commission by 19th November 2023.

The five actions outlined in the Charity Commission correspondence are accepted and the Board of Trustees of Penny Appeal look forward to completing these actions which will strengthen the organisation.

Our focus has always been on supporting as many people as we can to improve their lives. As we complete these corrective actions we are becoming a stronger organisation, even better placed to support the communities we work with, whilst providing the highest levels of accountability and transparency to all our supporters and stakeholders.

For further information please contact us via [email protected]