2024 Shortlist | Candlelighters Trust

Candlelighters Trust

Shortlist – People in Governance

About the Charity

Candlelighters Trust aims to bring light and hope to every family affected by childhood cancer across Yorkshire. More than 150 children in Yorkshire are diagnosed with cancer each year. When a child is diagnosed, lives are turned upside down instantly – not just for the child, but the entire family. The charity provides emotional, practical and financial support to families, while fostering hope for the future by investing in vital research to improve the outcomes and lives of children with cancer.

Founded more than 45 years ago, Candlelighters has grown significantly in recent years and now boasts a board of trustees and 35 employees that remain committed to the charity’s mission and delivering support services to the highest standard.

Charity number: 1045077 |  www.Candlelighters.org.uk
Health  |  England – Yorkshire and the Humber | 26-100 paid staff

What the Board Achieved

Candlelighters Trust stands as a beacon of support for families affected by childhood cancer, driven by an engaged and strategic board that harnesses diverse talents, ensures accountability, and fosters effective communication.

The charity’s board leverages a blend of expertise, including clinical staff, family members impacted by childhood cancer, and professionals with relevant skills. Through annual skills audits and personality assessments, the board ensures a well-rounded composition conducive to achieving organisational objectives. A prime example is the recruitment of a marketing expert who not only advises the marketing team but also spearheaded the establishment of a Development Board, amplifying fundraising efforts and improving organisational visibility.

Accountability is ingrained within Candlelighters’ governance framework, and the board invests in this by maintaining membership at Leading Governance and providing training to the chair, CEO and other key members of the board and staff team. Rigorous performance appraisals are conducted annually between the chair and each trustee. Trustees are held to a high standard of attendance and commitment, so much so that a trustee recently opted to step down due to their inability to meet role requirements. Independent reviews and adherence to charity governance best practice further enhances the board’s effectiveness, with actionable insights driving continuous improvement in the board’s own policies and practices and across the organisation.

Candlelighters fosters robust communication channels between the board, senior management team (SMT), and staff, ensuring alignment and shared understanding of organisational goals. Annual strategy reviews and quarterly updates promote staff buy-in and involvement in strategic direction. Rotational trustee attendance at All-Charity meetings enhances staff familiarity with board members, fostering transparency, trust and collaboration. A structured information flow, from weekly team meetings to board reporting, ensures timely decision-making and responsiveness to emerging challenges.

The board’s proactive leadership has been instrumental in Candlelighters’ growth and resilience. In particular, the board have been key to achieving the following:

• Expansion from a small team to 35 employees across four premises, underscoring the board’s commitment to organisational development and service expansion.
• Effective, strategic decision-making during COVID-19, facilitated by weekly board meetings that enabled the charity to reallocate resources and guaranteed the continuity of services amid unprecedented challenges.
• Increasing trustee engagement in fundraising events, sub-committees, and strategic initiatives, which illustrates the board’s deep commitment to the charity’s mission and values and helped to foster a culture of collaboration and resilience.

Through these activities, Candlelighters Trust continues to empower children with cancer and their families, driven by a dedicated board that embraces accountability, fosters engagement, and leads with compassion and foresight.

Why the Board Was Shortlisted

Candlelighters Trust demonstrated resilience in the face of the pandemic, and the board worked hard to become more agile and responsive to the needs of the charity and its beneficiaries. The Judging Panel admired the commitment of the board and its flexibility in adapting its own policies and processes to better achieve the charity’s mission. The entry described the changes that took place, including increasing the frequency of board meetings during a time of crisis, expanding the board’s talent pool and filling skills gaps, improving board oversight, deepening trustee engagement at all levels of the charity’s work, and strengthening procedures relating to monitoring and evaluating impact to better inform decision-making.