Jonathan Brinsden
- Partner
- Charities & Not-for-Profit
We are pleased to launch Charity and Philanthropy Focus, a new newsletter, sharing practical insights on the issues we see affecting charities, trustees and philanthropic organisations.
We hope you enjoy this first edition and, if a topic raises a question, please do get in touch with your usual Wedlake Bell adviser or any member of our Charities team.
In this issue:
- Aligning capital with purpose: a practical guide for trustees – trustees face growing pressure to align investments with purpose but are often held back by perceived complexity. We set out a practical approach: moving beyond exclusions, managing trade-offs between returns and purpose, and using the investment policy as a central tool, alongside more engaged use of advisers.
- Fundraising governance: a compliance journey – in light of the updated CC20 guidance, trustees have always been responsible for fundraising, but there is now a clearer expectation of active board oversight. We highlight what this means in practice for understanding, monitoring and challenging fundraising to meet legal, ethical and reputational standards.
- New data protection requirement – are you ready? – from 19 June 2026, organisations must have a clear process for handling complaints about personal data. We explain the key steps: accessible procedures, timely acknowledgement and response, and maintaining audit trails and staff training to demonstrate compliance.
- Grant making disclosures under SORP 2026: transparency without risk – with SORP 2026 now in force, we outline how charities can approach grant disclosures clearly and proportionately, including flexible presentation, the role of materiality in naming recipients and use of the “serious prejudice” exemption, supported by trustee judgement and proper documentation.
- ICO publishes “soft opt in” guidance – so what should charities do now? – following the introduction of the “charitable purposes soft opt‑in”, we explain the ICO’s guidance on when it can be used, including what counts as genuine support, limits on third-party data, and the need for clear opt-outs, with practical steps for compliant use.
This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or a comprehensive statement of the law. Specific legal advice should always be sought in relation to individual circumstances.
Meet the team: