Examples of charity analysis

An example of good governance: Thames Reach

• Read NPC's analysis of Thames Reach (approximately 20 pages of detailed analysis with a grading grid which rates different aspects of the charity)
• An update (developments in the charity since the long note was written)

In a nutshell
Thames Reach is one of London largest charities working with homeless people, with an income of around £20m. It now helps over 7,000 people each year. Its work focuses on rough sleepers and homeless people with difficult problems to overcome, such as drug and alcohol addiction. It gets them off the street, tries to stabilise their situation in a hostel or supported housing, and helps them to gain confidence, learn skills and, if possible, find a job—perhaps within Thames Reach itself.

At the heart of an effective charity there must be an effective board of trustees. The board should challenge and support the management, and ensure that the charity’s strategy is focused on tackling the problem it was set up to address. However, NPC’s recent review of charity trusteeship, Board matters, found that many boards struggle to understand their purpose and to review their own performance.

Thames Reach stands out among the charities NPC has analysed for its commitment to good governance. Its chair, Ken Olisa has a corporate background (he is a founder of a technology merchant bank and sits on the boards of two FTSE 100 companies) and he works closely with the charity’s energetic chief executive, Jeremy Swain. As chair, Olisa is passionate about ensuring that the charity has the right governance systems in place so that the staff can achieve the most for the homeless people they help. As he puts it, ‘Governance is my Mastermind topic’.

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