A key role in the effective governance of most charities is that of the honorary treasurer (treasurer) as an ‘office-holder’ among the charity trustees. Other trustees look to the honorary treasurer to advise, guide and reassure them on all aspects of the charity’s financial management and reporting (internal and external), control systems, solvency, risk management and investments.

The role of the honorary treasurer will differ with the size, complexity and nature of individual charities, widening out to embrace all financial aspects of the smaller, simpler kind of charity but narrowing down to accommodate related specialisms such as investment and estates management, on the Boards of the largest and most complex.

The treasurer’s role is an important one which is vital to the well being of any charity. It is also a very rewarding role which needs to be widely recognised and acknowledged.

Responsibilities of treasurers

The role of the treasurer is to monitor the financial administration of the charity and report to the board of trustees at regular intervals on that and its state of financial health, in line with best practice and in compliance with the governing document and legal requirements.

The treasurer will be involved in budgeting and strategic financial planning, financial and management reporting, risk assessment and risk management and are likely to be involved in areas such as investments, governance, reserves and pensions.

Interested in volunteering?

ICAEW supports members and non-members involved in the charity and voluntary sector in a number of ways:

• Charity Finance Professionals Community – a community focused on supporting finance professionals working in or advising clients in the charity and voluntary sectors. It provides technical updates, news, best practice guidance, events and networking opportunities.
• Volunteering Community – created specifically to support members who wish to provide pro bono finance services, take up a trustee position or a volunteering role with a UK charity or not-for-profit organisation. The community's benefits include free professional liability insurance, access to trustee training modules and regular e-newsletters containing the latest developments and volunteering opportunities.
• icaewvolunteers.com advertises volunteering roles for not-for-profit organisations and allows you to upload your profile so that organisations can find you.
• Talk Charity is a free online community aimed at people working in charities or advising charities. Talk Charity is an online community where you can discuss, share and learn from others involved in the charity and voluntary sector. Over 3,000 people have registered since it started in 2007.

Other organisations which might be of interest are:

The Honorary Treasurers Forum provides networking opportunities and resources to improve the effectiveness of existing honorary treasurers and to encourage more volunteers to take up this essential trustee role.

The Association of Church Accountants and Treasurers aims to advance the Christian religion through the promotion of the efficiency and effectiveness of Christian Churches and Organisations by the provision, to the Association’s members, of advice, training and information on accounting, financial, legal and other related issues.