Social enterprise governance documents and ongoing duties
Governance is how your organisation is run and held to account, and every structure brings its own rules. Seghu shows who regulates your social enterprise, what you file and your key duties, then generates the governance documents your structure needs from your own answers.
- Your regulator, filings and key duties
- Documents generated from your answers
- Compare duties across structures
Governance gaps show up when funders look closely
Funders and investors read your governing document, check your filings and ask how decisions are made. Gaps that seemed small at registration can slow an application down. Knowing your duties from the start makes those conversations easier.
- Each structure has different annual filings, from confirmation statements to annual returns.
- A CIC files an annual CIC34 community interest report alongside its accounts.
- A CIO reports on public benefit and tells the Charity Commission about trustee changes and serious incidents.
What the governance tools cover
Who regulates you
See your regulator, the registration fee and the usual timeline for your structure.
What you file and your key duties
A plain list of what you file at registration, your ongoing obligations, and practical steps after incorporation, such as registering for Corporation Tax.
Documents written from your answers
Generate your filing and governance documents from your incorporation answers, then preview them and download them as PDF or Word.
Compare structures
Weighing up two structures? Compare their governance side by side before you commit.
Documents between two organisations
For hybrid setups, generate the documents that link them, such as a conflicts policy, a services agreement and a brand licence.
How it works
- 01
Choose your structure
Pick the structure you are forming, or start from the one your organisation already has.
- 02
Read your duties
See who regulates you, what you file, your key obligations and what to do after registration.
- 03
Generate your documents
Create your governance and filing documents from your answers, preview them and download them to use or share with an adviser.
Governance for where you are now
A new organisation needs its governance set up properly. An existing one needs to keep up with the duties of the structure it already has.
Forming a new organisation
Get your governance right from day one, alongside your incorporation documents.
- Filing and governance documents for your chosen structure
- What you file, with whom, and how long it takes
- Steps to take after you register
Already incorporated
See the ongoing duties of the structure you already have, and the documents for any new organisation your Structure Review recommends.
- Your regulator, filings and key duties today
- Documents for a recommended second organisation
- Summaries of your review to share
What you get
- Your regulator, registration fee and usual timeline
- A list of what you are filing at registration
- Your key ongoing obligations, such as annual returns, accounts and, for a CIC, the CIC34 report
- Practical next steps after incorporation
- Governance and filing documents generated from your answers, as PDF or Word
- Linking documents for hybrid setups, such as a conflicts policy and services agreement
- A list of the answers your documents still need
Frequently asked questions
What governance documents does a social enterprise need?
Every social enterprise needs a governing document: articles of association for a company or CIC, a constitution for a CIO or CASC, or rules for a co-operative or community benefit society. Around it sit registers, board minutes and policies that show how decisions are made. What you need depends on your structure.
What does a CIC have to file every year?
A CIC sends Companies House a confirmation statement and annual accounts, plus a CIC34 community interest report alongside its accounts. The CIC34 report describes what the company did for the community, how it involved its stakeholders and what its directors were paid.
What does a CIO have to file every year?
A CIO sends the Charity Commission an annual return, a trustees' annual report and accounts every year, whatever its income. The trustees' report includes reporting on public benefit.
Can Seghu help if we are already registered?
Yes. The Already Incorporated pathway shows the ongoing duties of the structure you have today. If your Structure Review recommends adding a second organisation, it also covers that organisation's documents.
Is this a substitute for a solicitor or accountant?
No. Seghu is not a law firm or an accountancy practice, and nothing it produces is legal, tax or financial advice. Our templates are awaiting professional review, and booking a solicitor through Seghu is coming soon.
Keep exploring
- IncorporationGuided incorporation wizards for CICs, CIOs, charitable companies, community benefit societies, co-ops and CASCs. Build your formation documents step by step.
- Structure AssessmentCIC or charity? CIO, CBS or co-op? Seghu's structure assessment ranks the 8 main UK social enterprise structures against your mission and funding plans.
- FundingSee which grants, loans, social investment and community shares fit your structure, check your funding readiness and get matched to 144 UK funders.
Get your governance right from day one
See the duties that come with your structure and generate the documents to match.
Start your journey