What is the role of annual general meetings (AGMs) in charity governance?

• A. To report to members, elect trustees, approve accounts, and provide accountability and transparency.
• B. To plan fundraising events
• C. To set salaries for staff
• D. To print newsletters

Answer: (A)

AGMs center on governance and accountability to members. At the meeting, the charity presents its annual report and financial statements, giving members a clear view of what happened over the year. Members also have the chance to elect or re-elect trustees, who are the charity’s governing board, ensuring the leadership reflects the members’ trust and is accountable to them. Importantly, the accounts are approved at the AGM, sometimes with an auditor’s or independent examiner’s report, which reinforces transparency about how funds were used. This combination—reporting on activities, approving the financial statements, and selecting the people who govern—provides the essential accountability to members and, by extension, to regulators and funders.

Fundraising planning, setting staff salaries, or printing newsletters are important activities for a charity, but they aren’t the primary governance function of the AGM. Fundraising and operations are ongoing, while salaries are typically determined by the trustees through policy and governance processes, and newsletters are part of communications rather than governance oversight.