Conflict of interest

Conflicts of interest are a normal part of running a charity, not a sign of wrongdoing. A trustee might also run a local business, sit on another charity’s board, or have a relative who could benefit from a decision. The duty is not to avoid every conflict, but to spot it and handle it properly.

The Charity Commission’s guidance CC29 requires trustees to identify, declare and manage conflicts of interest so decisions are made only in the charity’s best interests. (Source: GOV.UK, Conflicts of interest: a guide for charity trustees (CC29), accessed 9 July 2026.) Conflicts fall into two kinds: financial gain (to a trustee or connected person) and loyalty (a competing duty elsewhere). The usual fix is to declare the interest and have the conflicted trustee step out of that decision.

Keep a register of interests, review it at each meeting, and adopt a short conflicts policy. For the full approach and a ready-to-use template, see the Trustee & Governance Handbook.