Advice for charities following publication of the Charity Commission’s social media guidance

For more information on the Charity Commission’s new social media guidance, Stone King Partner Rosamund McCarthy Etherington has written an insightful article on the subject for Civil Society, a summary of which, along with a link to the full article, can be found here.

Advice for charities:

•    If you use social media then you need to put in place a social media policy. The Charity Commission’s annual return 2023 asks charities whether they have one in place. The policy should be proportionate to the size of your charity and tailored to its activities.
•    If you are planning to use riskier posts on emotive issues, you should consider obtaining independent advice and keeping careful records of the decision-making/sign-off process.
•    If you are working with partner organisations, ensure all parties agree on a specified approach to social media and consider the risks associated with any misuse of social media by them.
•    While there is no duty for trustees to monitor personal email accounts, if they do become aware of a personal post by a trustee or an employee of the charity, they should take steps to manage the situation and prevent damage to the reputation of the charity.