Good governance is not a compliance exercise. It is the foundation on which trustee confidence, stakeholder trust, and organisational effectiveness are built. Adena Street provides independent governance support designed specifically for the not-for-profit environment.
Adena Street provides tailored governance support focused on strengthening oversight, accountability, and decision-making. The approach is always independent — drawing on the whole of the market where specialist expertise is required, and carrying no conflicts of interest. The aim is to ensure your organisation is well-governed, well-informed, and operating in the best interests of its stakeholders.
A well-designed governance framework ensures that your board has the structures, processes, and accountability it needs to exercise its responsibilities effectively. Adena Street reviews your existing arrangements and provides clear, practical recommendations.
Trustees face complex decisions — often without the specialist expertise to navigate them confidently. Adena Street provides independent input to help boards address governance challenges, understand risks, and make well-reasoned decisions that can be documented and defended.
If your charity has delegated discretionary investment management to an external manager, an Investment Policy Statement is a legal requirement. Many charities either do not have one, or are working from a document that has not been reviewed in years. Adena Street drafts, reviews, and updates IPS documents to reflect current objectives and obligations.
The Charity Commission actively encourages trustees to seek education and independent advice where they lack the time, knowledge, or inclination to act alone. Adena Street delivers practical training designed to improve effectiveness, build confidence, and ensure trustees understand the responsibilities they carry.
Most charity trustees are motivated, committed, and acting in good faith. But legal obligations around governance — particularly where investments are held — are significant, and the consequences of gaps in compliance can damage both reputation and finances.
Trustees who do not have a current Investment Policy Statement, who have never reviewed the performance of their investment manager, or who cannot articulate the fees they are paying are exposed to reputational and regulatory risk — even when none of this was through any lack of care.
The Charity Commission encourages charities to seek independent advice. Acting on that encouragement, and documenting the process, is itself a demonstration of responsible governance.
Funders, donors, and regulators are increasingly attentive to how charities manage their governance responsibilities. A structured, independently supported governance framework demonstrates that your board takes its duties seriously — and provides the documentation to show it.
Adena Street provides clear records of advice provided, decisions made, and improvements implemented — giving your board the audit trail it needs to demonstrate compliance and effective oversight to any stakeholder.
A no-cost discovery conversation to understand what you have in place, where the gaps may be, and what independent governance support could look like for your organisation.