New Guidance on Social Media by the UK Government, Winter 2024

The Charity Commission recently published its first-ever guidance on charities’ use of social media.

The guidance sets out how trustees should manage the risks and benefits of social media, including through creating and embedding a robust social media policy.

The new guidance aims to help trustees understand how their present legal duties apply to their charity’s use of social media, and covers things like:

• Why having a social media policy is important
• A checklist that covers what to include in a social media policy
• How to manage risks, especially when content about emotive topics are posted online
• How to handle posts from individuals associated with the charity which could pose a risk to a charity’s reputation. This includes where these posts are on their personal accounts, and
• A Charities’ ability to campaign and to fundraise on social media.

This final guidance was delivered in response to concerns which were raised by The Chartered Governance Institute for UK & Ireland (CGIUKI) and other Infrastructure bodies following consultation on the draft guidance.

Staying safe online is also discussed in the guidance, and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have produced a guide that covers various aspects of cyber security including social media use.

For more information or to read the guidance, visit the Charity Commission website.