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Governance & Risk Management Consulting for UK Charities and Non-Profits
Running a charity means balancing mission, governance, and compliance under constant pressure. Trustees carry personal responsibilities, while leaders must safeguard community impact and donor trust. Our expert-led, London-based boutique services provide tailored support for charities and non-profits helping you strengthen governance, achieve regulatory compliance, and build resilience for long-term sustainability.
Supporting Trustees to Meet Charity Commission and ICO Expectations
Expert-led, boutique advisory trusted by financial services, fintechs, and purpose-driven organisations. Page last updated: June 2026
Lucy Owen
Former CEO, Dyspraxia Foundation
Strengthening Board Engagement and Risk Governance
"Julien was fantastic to work with; he is professional, understanding, and incredibly supportive. He listened to my situation, gave me sound advice and guidance to help me navigate the board and get them engaged with the process, and provided excellent insight into our organisation's risk management needs. The resources and information he provided were invaluable in supporting me to drive home the importance of improving our risk understanding and processes. Thank you!"
Three Pathways to Strengthen
Your Charity or Non-Profit
Our services are built on three proven pathways that help trustees and leaders focus on what matters most: compliance, governance, and sustainable growth.
Achieve & Maintain Regulatory Compliance
Meet Charity Commission requirements, address GDPR and safeguarding obligations, and prepare for donor and grant audits with confidence.
Strengthen Governance & Risk Culture
Support trustees with clear accountability, improve board engagement, and embed effective oversight across your charity.
Enable Growth with Confidence
Protect donor trust, secure sustainable funding, and build resilience frameworks that allow your charity to expand its impact with confidence.
How We Work with Charities & Non-Profit Organisations
Every charity and non-profit faces different governance, operational and strategic challenges, from strengthening trustee oversight and managing organisational risk to improving resilience, protecting beneficiaries and supporting sustainable growth. That's why our approach combines independent governance advice, practical implementation and ongoing strategic support to help trustees and leadership teams make informed decisions and deliver lasting impact.
Note: All engagements are delivered directly by senior governance, risk and resilience leaders with executive and trustee experience. We combine strategic insight, practical implementation and independent challenge to help charities strengthen governance, improve decision-making and build resilient organisations.
Diagnose
Baseline reviews & compliance gap analysis
Understand where your charity stands today and identify the governance, risk and organisational capabilities needed to strengthen trustee oversight, improve resilience and support your mission.
Services
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Charity Governance Maturity Assessments
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Trustee & Board Effectiveness Reviews
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Governance & Risk Reviews
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Enterprise Risk Assessments
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Operational Resilience Reviews
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Gap Analysis & Prioritised Improvement Roadmaps
What You Will Get
An independent assessment of your charity's governance, risk management and organisational resilience, together with practical recommendations and a prioritised roadmap to strengthen trustee oversight, improve decision-making and support long-term sustainability.
Remediate
Urgent regulatory and policy remediation
Strengthen governance, address organisational risks and implement practical improvements that enhance resilience, support compliance and enable your charity to achieve its mission.
Services
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Governance Improvement Programmes
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Risk Framework Enhancement
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Charity Commission & Governance Reviews
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GDPR & Data Protection Remediation
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Internal Control & Assurance Reviews
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Operational Resilience & Business Continuity Improvement
What You Will Get
Practical improvements that strengthen governance, enhance trustee oversight, improve organisational resilience and build confidence among trustees, funders, regulators and other stakeholders.
Sustain
Long-term fund protection and impact frameworks
Build the governance, risk and resilience capabilities needed to strengthen trustee oversight, support sustainable growth and protect your charity's long-term mission.
Services
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Governance Framework Design
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Enterprise Risk Management
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Board & Trustee Advisory
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Risk Appetite & Risk Culture
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Operational Resilience
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Business Continuity Planning
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Investment Governance & Oversight
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Strategic Planning & Decision Support
What You Will Get
Stronger governance, more confident trustee decision-making and resilient operating models that support sustainable growth, protect charitable assets and enable your organisation to deliver long-term social impact.
Partner
outsourced risk management
Access experienced governance, risk and strategic leadership without the cost and commitment of a full-time executive, helping your charity strengthen oversight, navigate change and build long-term organisational resilience.
Services
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Fractional Chief Risk Officer (CRO)
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Board & Trustee Advisory
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Governance & Risk Oversight
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Enterprise Risk Management
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Data Protection Officer (DPO) Support
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Leadership Coaching & Executive Mentoring
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Ongoing Strategic & Governance Advisory
What You Will Get
Experienced executive leadership, independent challenge and practical guidance that strengthens governance, supports trustees and leadership teams, improves strategic decision-making and builds resilient organisations capable of delivering lasting social impact.
Safeguard Trust. Amplify Impact.
Charities exist to change lives and strengthen communities. Trustees and leaders carry both the privilege of purpose and the burden of responsibility. By putting the right governance and risk practices in place, you protect the trust of donors, regulators, and beneficiaries — and free your organisation to focus on making the greatest possible impact.
Charities and Non-Profit Risk Management
& Compliance Case Studies
Every charity faces different governance, operational and strategic challenges. These case studies show how proportionate governance, risk management and compliance have helped charities strengthen trustee oversight, improve organisational resilience, protect charitable assets and make better strategic decisions.
Sector-Wide Governance Maturity Assessments
The Challenge: Charity trustees and senior leaders needed an independent assessment of their governance, risk management and organisational resilience to identify improvement priorities and strengthen Board oversight.
Key Outcomes:
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Delivered 86 governance and risk maturity assessments completed by 116 trustees and senior leaders.
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Increased awareness of governance responsibilities and good governance practices across participating organisations.
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Strengthened trustee engagement and Board-level discussions on governance, risk and resilience.
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Identified priority improvement areas through structured governance and risk benchmarking.
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Enabled charities to develop practical action plans to strengthen governance, improve resilience and support better strategic decision-making.
Homelessness Charity –
Data & GDPR Compliance
The Challenge: A UK homelessness charity needed to strengthen its data protection framework, improve GDPR compliance and establish proportionate governance for handling sensitive beneficiary and donor information.
Key Outcomes:
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Conducted a comprehensive GDPR and data protection review.
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Developed a Record of Processing Activities (ROPA) and data retention framework.
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Clarified governance roles, responsibilities and accountability for data protection.
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Identified compliance gaps and practical actions to strengthen the control environment.
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Enhanced confidence in the charity's management of sensitive beneficiary and donor information.
Governance & Risk Advisory for a UK Disability Charity
The Challenge: A UK disability charity needed support to strengthen trustee engagement on risk, improve Board oversight and ensure governance reflected the practical realities of operating a growing charity.
Key Outcomes:
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Provided strategic governance and risk advisory support to the Chief Executive Officer.
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Improved trustee engagement and confidence in discussing strategic and operational risks.
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Developed a practical approach to governance tailored to the needs of a small charity.
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Strengthened Board oversight through clearer risk governance and decision-making.
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Supported the charity in embedding proportionate governance to enable sustainable growth and organisational resilience.
UK Grant-Making Charity — Investment Governance & Board Advisory
The Challenge: A UK charitable trust needed to review the governance, strategy and oversight of its £10 million investment portfolio to improve long-term performance, reduce costs and ensure the portfolio remained aligned with the charity's objectives and risk appetite.
Key Outcomes:
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Led the review and restructuring of the charity's investment strategy.
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Supported the selection and appointment of a new investment manager.
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Strengthened Board oversight through enhanced investment governance and performance monitoring.
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Improved transparency around portfolio performance, costs and investment risk.
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Delivered an estimated 30% improvement in long-term portfolio value over a ten-year period through lower investment costs and enhanced portfolio performance.
Latest Charity Risk and Governance Insights
Benchmark Your Charity's Governance
Strong governance begins with understanding where your organisation stands today. Our free Charity Governance Scorecard helps trustees and charity leaders assess governance, Board effectiveness, risk management and organisational resilience against recognised good practice.
Join 116 trustees and senior leaders who have already completed the assessment to identify governance strengths, uncover improvement opportunities and prioritise the actions that will have the greatest impact on your organisation.
Pricing and Engagement Models
We recognise that every charity has different resources and governance needs. That’s why our pricing is tailored — from ongoing retainers and activity-based subscriptions to fixed-scope projects. All engagements are agreed in advance, with transparent deliverables and flexibility to reflect the financial realities of the non-profit sector.
Note. All engagements are delivered directly by senior risk and resilience experts, providing practical insight and proven leadership experience at every stage.
Project-Based Engagements
Fixed-scope programmes with clearly defined deliverables and agreed pricing.
Typical engagements include:
Governance and Board effectiveness reviews
Charity governance maturity assessments
Enterprise risk management and risk framework design
GDPR and data protection reviews
Operational resilience and business continuity reviews
Strategic governance and risk improvement programmes
Outcome: Practical, proportionate solutions that strengthen governance, improve trustee oversight, enhance organisational resilience and support long-term sustainability.
Retainer Advisory
Ongoing access to experienced governance, risk and charity leaders.
Typical support includes:
Board and trustee advisory
Governance and strategic decision support
Enterprise risk management
Funding and organisational change advice
Board reporting and governance reviews
Leadership mentoring and executive support
Outcome: Trusted, independent advice that helps trustees and leadership teams make better strategic decisions, strengthen governance and build resilient, sustainable organisations.
Quarterly/Annual Subscription
Structured, ongoing governance and risk support that evolves with your organisation.
Typical services include:
Governance and Board reporting
Enterprise risk register management
Governance and compliance reviews
Operational resilience and business continuity oversight
Action plan monitoring and implementation support
GDPR and Data Protection Officer (DPO) support
Outcome: Continuous governance, risk and compliance oversight that strengthens trustee confidence, supports good governance and enables informed strategic decision-making.
A risk taxonomy template is designed to help charities and non-profits develop a comprehensive risk management strategy and its charity risk register. It covers areas like financial, operational, compliance, reputational, strategic, cybersecurity, fraud, safeguarding, conflicts of interest, people risk, governance effectiveness, and data-security. This structured approach not only protects the organisation but also enhances its resilience and capacity to achieve its mission.
Who You'll Be Working With
Aevitium LTD partners with a trusted network of senior risk and compliance experts across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and India. Our risk experts bring deep sector expertise in governance, resilience, fintech, and non-profit operations — tailored to your strategic needs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. When should a charity seek external governance or risk support?
Independent governance and risk advice adds the greatest value during periods of organisational change, including rapid growth, leadership transitions, major funding applications, Charity Commission engagement, mergers, restructuring and strategic transformation. Independent challenge helps Boards strengthen governance, improve strategic decision-making and identify potential issues before they become significant organisational risks. A governance review or maturity assessment provides an effective starting point for organisations looking to benchmark their current arrangements and prioritise future improvements.
2. Does a small charity need a formal risk management framework?
Managing risk is a core trustee responsibility under Charity Commission guidance (CC26 – Charities and Risk Management). Trustees should identify, assess and manage the principal risks facing their charity in a way that is proportionate to its size, complexity and activities. A practical risk management framework helps Boards demonstrate good governance, protect beneficiaries and charitable assets, and support informed decision-making.
3. How often should trustees review governance arrangements?
Governance should be reviewed regularly alongside strategic planning, Board effectiveness and organisational risk management. Many charities undertake annual governance reviews, with additional assessments following significant organisational change, rapid growth, major funding initiatives or Charity Commission engagement. Regular reviews help ensure governance arrangements remain proportionate, effective and aligned with the charity's objectives.
4. How can trustees improve Board effectiveness?
Effective Boards combine clear governance structures with constructive challenge, appropriate oversight and informed decision-making. Regular Board evaluations, governance reviews, risk reporting, trustee development and clearly defined responsibilities all contribute to stronger Board performance and better organisational outcomes.
5. Can you advise our Board without becoming a trustee?
Yes. We regularly provide independent governance, risk and strategic advisory services to trustees, Boards and executive teams without becoming part of the charity's governance structure. This allows organisations to access experienced independent advice while preserving trustee accountability and decision-making responsibilities.
6. Can you work alongside our auditors, solicitors or Data Protection Officer?
Yes. We frequently work alongside auditors, solicitors, investment managers, internal or outsourced Data Protection Officers (DPOs), HR advisers and other specialists. Our role is to complement existing expertise by strengthening governance, improving risk oversight and supporting better strategic decision-making across the organisation.
7. Can you support our Data Protection Officer (DPO)?
We provide GDPR and data protection support to charities, including GDPR compliance reviews, Records of Processing Activities (ROPA), Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), data retention frameworks and ongoing support to internal or outsourced Data Protection Officers. Our advice aligns with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) guidance, helping charities strengthen data governance while protecting beneficiary, volunteer and donor information.
8. Can you help prepare our Board for major decisions?
Yes. We support Boards during strategic planning, major funding applications, organisational restructuring, investment reviews, governance change and other significant decisions. Through independent challenge, governance advice and structured risk facilitation, we help trustees make well-informed decisions while maintaining appropriate oversight.
9. Can you support investment governance?
Yes. We advise charity Boards on investment governance, risk oversight and strategic stewardship of charitable assets. This includes investment strategy reviews, investment manager selection, governance arrangements, portfolio monitoring and reporting to help trustees fulfil their fiduciary responsibilities while supporting the charity's long-term objectives.
10. What makes Aevitium different from traditional consultancy firms?
Aevitium combines executive leadership experience with practical expertise in charity governance, Board advisory, enterprise risk management, operational resilience, investment governance and data protection. Rather than delivering generic reports, we work alongside trustees and leadership teams to strengthen governance, improve strategic decision-making and build resilient organisations capable of delivering long-term social impact.