LONDON, UK / AGILITYPR.NEWS / September 16, 2020 / ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute has published an ESG white paper and maturity matrix to help charities focus on the important environmental, social and governance issues that the sector needs to consider.
Louise Thomson, Head of Policy (Not for Profit) at the Institute says:
“Public awareness of environmental issues, social injustice and the negative consequences of poor governance practices has been growing in recent years as media focus has brought ESG concerns to a greater audience. There are increasing pressures on charities to demonstrate that they are making a positive impact on society and are not doing any harm to others in the pursuit of their charitable objects.
“On top of this, the Coronavirus pandemic has brought certain elements of the ESG agenda into sharp focus, such as the use of digital, reduced travel, office space, flexible working and alternative business models. Charities need to pay greater attention to their responsibilities in all these areas, as well as the benefits that can be achieved through having a solid ESG strategy, such as attracting and retaining staff and volunteers, hence the reason we have produced a white paper on ESG which lays out the types of considerations charities should be focusing on and a maturity matrix to help boards consider how they might report on ESG.”
The white paper focuses on the following areas:
“While larger charities, with funds to invest, will be aware of the increasing use of ESG in terms of investment decisions, others will not be as familiar with the concept or believe that it is relevant to them. This couldn’t be further from the truth. ESG is not just a new version of reputational risk management, it is a concept that could potentially change the way charities think about values, attract support and maximise impact. It will come with some costs, but could yield significant benefits which will ultimately support the sustainability of the charity while creating a more positive impact on the communities it seeks to serve,” concludes Louise.
About Us
The Chartered Governance Institute is the qualifying and membership body for governance with over 125 years’ experience of educating and supporting governance professionals. With a Royal Charter purpose of leading ‘effective and efficient governance and administration of commerce, industry and public affairs’, we provide professional development, guidance and thought leadership, and work with regulators and policy makers to champion high standards.
The Institute has divisions in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong/China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Southern Africa, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. The division headquartered in London (known as ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute) represents and supports members in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Crown Dependencies and associated territories, which include the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Mauritius and Sri Lanka.
The white paper can be downloaded for free at www.icsa.org.uk/esgmatrix
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Maria Brookes
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mbrookes@icsa.org.ukPhone: +44 (0)20 7612 7072 Mobile: +44 (0)7890 649 143
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