13 Conflicts of Interest Policy for Trustees
A conflict of interest is any situation in which a Trustee’s personal interests, or
interests which they owe to another body, and those of the organisation arise
simultaneously or appear to clash.
The issue is not the integrity of the Trustee concerned, but the management of
any potential to profit from a person’s position as Trustee, or for a Trustee to be
influenced by conflicting loyalties. Even the appearance of a conflict of interest
can damage the Charity’s reputation, so conflicts need carefully to be managed.
All Trustees need to be alert to possible conflicts of interest which they might
have and how they can minimise the effects. A key aspect of minimising the
effects of conflicts of interest is to be open and transparent about such situations
when they arise.
What is a Conflict of Interest?
Conflicts of interest may come in a number of forms.
a) Direct financial gain or benefit to the Trustee, such as
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Payment to a Trustee for services provided to StreetGames;
The award of a contract to another organisation in which a Trustee has an
interest and from which a Trustee will receive a financial benefit; or
The employment of a Trustee in a separate post within StreetGames,
even when the Trustee has resigned in order to take up employment.
b) Indirect financial gain, such as employment by StreetGames of a spouse or
partner of the Trustee, where their finances are interdependent.
c) Non-financial gain, such as when a beneficiary of StreetGames’ charitable
activities is also a Trustee.
d) Conflict of loyalties.
What is Conflict of Loyalties?
Members of the Board of Trustees should bear in mind that, when they are
dealing with the business of StreetGames, their overriding duty is to act in the
best interests of StreetGames. There may be situations in which a Trustee’s
loyalty to the charity conflicts with their loyalty to a business or to another
charitable organisation of which they are a trustee or to a member of their family.
Such conflicts of loyalty will not stop anyone from being a Trustee, but they give
rise to conflicts of interest.
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Identifying and Reporting Conflicts of Interests
In order for the Board of Trustees to identify any conflict of interest
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Each Trustee, upon election to the Board of Trustees, must complete a
Declaration of Interest Form and ensure that it is kept up to date.
All declared interests will be recorded on a register of interests which will
be maintained by the Company Secretary and will be available on request.
At the start of every meeting of the Board of Trustees members will be
asked to declare any interest which they have in an item to be discussed.
Where a conflict exists, a member will be required to withdraw from the
discussion and any decision-making.
Where specific interests are declared at a meeting then these will be
recorded in the minutes of the meeting together with the action taken to
manage the conflict.
Any benefits received by Trustees will be disclosed in the annual report
and accounts.
Prospective new Trustees will be asked to consider the question of
possible conflicts of interest before they are appointed. Other trustees will
be made aware of any possible conflicts of interests involving the
individuals standing for election, so that they can take these into account
when voting.
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