Board Essentials: Understanding Your Charity’s Accounts – A practical introduction for trustees
Provided by: Association of Chairs
Event details
- External Event
- 17 Sep 2026
- £35
Do charity accounts feel like a mystery? This 75-minute **lunchtime **session is designed to help trustees of small charities feel more confident reading and understanding their charity’s annual accounts. Whether you’re new to trusteeship or simply want to demystify the numbers, this session will walk you through what to look for and why it matters.
In this webinar we will explore:
- What we need to prepare and how; receipts and payments v accruals accounts and the role of the Charities SORP
- Two main financial statements – SOFA and Balance Sheet – and what they tell us using example accounts for a charity with income c£500k
- Key questions trustees should ask when reviewing accounts
- How to spot risks and red flags
- Signposting to example accounts, Charity Commission guidance and templates
- Key questions trustees should ask when reviewing accounts
- How accounts help with strategic planning
Who should attend:
- New trustees wanting to build confidence with charity finances
- Trustees of small charities who want to better understand their annual accounts
- Chairs and treasurers keen to support effective board decision-making
About the session
- The session is free for those with a Board Membership
- The session will take place on Zoom. The joining link will be sent in the confirmation email.
About the trainer
Alice Clementi, CA – Founder & CEO, Charterpath
Alice is a Chartered Accountant with over 15 years’ corporate experience, including senior leadership roles in banking and financial services.
Alongside her corporate career, she has been a finance volunteer in the charity sector since 2012, supporting organisations with financial management, governance and strategic planning. She has served on the Risk & Audit Committee of a large London-based homelessness charity, was the founding Chair of Trustees of a youth charity, and currently chairs the Finance Committee of a leading girls’ school.
Alice is now CEO of Charterpath, a UK charity connecting finance professionals with charities. Through this work, she has supported hundreds of charities and designed and delivered training programmes to help trustees and volunteers build confidence in financial oversight.
She was named in the 2025 NatWest WISE100 list of the most influential women in social enterprise in the UK.
What to expect
The session will be held over the online platform, Zoom, enabling you to see the trainer and others joining the session face to face. There will also be an opportunity for discussion with fellow trustees using breakout rooms, therefore we encourage you to join with your video on if you can.
We aim to be inclusive and know that some people have different needs. If you need a reasonable adjustment for an event, please let us know what you need when completing the booking form and we will contact you about how we can help. You can view our reasonable adjustment policy here.
