Director Induction Information
Background
Freegle UK started life on 11 September 2009. More details on our history are at Potted_History
Initially we were governed by elected Reps. We were unincorporated which meant that individuals may have had to take personal responsibility. This made it difficult for us to enter into partnerships with or get funding from other organisations.
A committee was formed to suggest a solution to this problem which resulted in Freegle UK voting to become an Industrial and Provident Society (now known as Registered Societies).
Freegle Ltd was formed as a holding company with 3 Reps as Directors. The Company was converted from a Company Limited by Guarantee to an Industrial and Provident Society on 13 June 2014, IPS Registration 32410R.
https://mutuals.fsa.gov.uk/SocietyDetails.aspx?Number=32410&Suffix=R
We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and subject to Rules which were agreed with them:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Rules
We were very fortunate in receiving practical help and funds from Co-operatives UK.
Freegle UK elected 9 Directors in February 2014 and these were appointed as Directors by the Founder Members (the 3 Rep Directors) on 21 June 2014.
We were granted exempt charity status by HMRC in March 2015, which means that we are entitled to gift aid on donations. This is not the same as being a registered charity, which means that you are registered with the Charity Commission. An IPS is exempt from registration (which actually means you cannot register). Nowadays an IPS is called a "Registered Society".
Role of the Board within Freegle
As a grassroots organisation the Board of Directors takes joint responsibility for Freegle Ltd and is answerable to the Members who elect us. You can find more details and the role description of a Freegle Director here:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freegle_Board
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HFgRRDk3N1R06bDOQpBERkNYFrcp_N8ptiMxSUmn-lY/edit
https://www.gov.uk/charity-trustee-whats-involved#how-to-become-a-trustee
All Volunteers are entitled to be Members of Freegle Limited. This means they have one share and entitles them to vote in AGMs and stand as a Director. They are required to pay a £1 membership fee.
There is a register of Members which is kept by the Company Secretary. You should be given access as Membership is subject to Board approval. This is delegated to the company secretary who informs us of new Members at each Board meeting. http://freegle.in/JoinFreegleLtd
Structure of the Board
The first Freegle Ltd Board allocated the following roles to individual board members:
- Chairman
- Company Secretary
- Finance Director
- CTO
- Head of Media
- Board Secretary
- Fundraising
The Board also appoints Board Secretary, 2 Ombudsmen, 2 Returning Officers and the Treasurer.
Relevant Policies and Procedures
Freegle accounts are held at
We have online banking with Unity Trust Bank. 2 people are required before a payment can be approved. ?[a] signatories are required for the account. The Treasurer is copied into board mails relating to financial matters.
We have a Conflict of Interest procedure, at: Conflicts_of_Interest_Procedure
We also maintain a Risk Register, at:
The first Board approved and adopted a range of policies and procedures for Freegle Ltd. They are all uploaded onto the Freegle Wiki, and are listed here: http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freegle_Ltd_Adopted_Document_Summary
The Freegle Wiki provides extensive information on Freegle UK and Freegle Ltd decisions and resources for moderators: http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Welcome_to_the_Freegle_Volunteer_Wiki
The pages specific to the Board are categorised together and can be found via:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Category:Freegle_Board
Responsibilities of Directors
The Board discusses day to day matters on the Board Group and uses polls to help with decision-making. Board members are expected to read all mails on and contribute regularly to this group.
As well as Freegle UK Central there are 3 working groups to which all volunteers are entitled to join. All board members should be on at least daily digest on these groups, to gain an understanding of the current work and opinions of Members and Volunteers.
https://freegle.in/Development
A Board meeting is held once a month by Zoom; board members are expected to attend, submit reports of work they have undertaken and participate in discussion. Formal minutes are produced and can be found here:
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Category:Freegle_Board_Minutes
http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Board_Meeting_Procedure
There is a google spreadsheet which contains confidential details of the Directors and passwords for accounts accessed by the Directors.
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