Turning Governance into Impact: Why the 2025 Charity Governance Code Matters for Sport and Social Impact

The recent publication of a revised Charity Governance Code comes at a pivotal moment for the sport and social impact sector. It explicitly responds to the pressures boards now face: from rising expectations around inclusion and accountability, to the need to demonstrate social purpose, safeguard communities, and manage digital and reputational risk. For organisations straddling charity, corporate, and community worlds, as many sports charities do, the Code provides a framework to move governance from a compliance exercise to a strategic advantage.

The 2025 refresh builds on the 2020 version but responds to several sector-wide shifts:

• Greater focus on lived experience and inclusion: Reflecting societal expectations that boards should not only be diverse but also represent and understand the communities they serve.

• Integration with ESG, purpose, and sustainability agendas: Charities (including sport foundations) are expected to show how their governance contributes to environmental and social responsibility.

• Sharper guidance on culture, integrity, and safeguarding: Following several high-profile governance failures in the charity and sport sectors, the Code now emphasises culture, safety, and organisational health as board-level priorities.

• Stronger board accountability and evaluation: Boards are encouraged to use continuous learning, evaluation, and data to improve performance and transparency.

• Digital and data governance: New expectations around cyber resilience, digital inclusion, and data ethics.

The Code remains voluntary but continues to act as the sector standard for excellence - influencing funders, regulators, and partners who want assurance of sound governance practice.

What does this mean for Sports Charities and Social Impact Organisations

Sport and social impact organisations face unique governance challenges:

• Many sit between charity, corporate, and community worlds, with hybrid funding and stakeholder models.

• Boards often combine brand ambassadors, ex-athletes, and community leaders who may not have traditional governance experience.

• Expectations are rising: funders now demand evidence of good governance, EDI commitments, and measurable impact.

The 2025 Code gives these organisations a language and framework to:

• Align board behaviour with their social purpose.

• Build trust and credibility with funders and communities.

• Strengthen board performance, diversity, and succession planning.

• Create the conditions for impact — where governance is a growth enabler, not a compliance burden.

How Affleck & Co can help

With a track record in sport, EDI, and impact strategy, Affleck & Co. can help organisations translate governance principles into practice - turning the Code from a checklist into a strategic tool. We can help boards:

1. Diagnose and Improve Governance Health

We can use our light-touch diagnostic tools and our “discovery sprint” to benchmark current practice against the Code. For example:

• How clear is the organisation’s purpose and theory of change?

• Does the board reflect the diversity and lived experience of its community?

• Are decision-making processes transparent and evidence-led?

2. Link Governance to Impact

We have governance experts who can help boards connect the dots between governance, culture, and outcomes - showing how strong governance strengthens wellbeing, inclusion, and community impact goals.

3. Embed EDI and Culture Change

We have EDI experts who can support boards to go beyond tokenism:

• Setting measurable inclusion goals.

• Ensuring diverse voices shape decisions.

• Facilitating workshops, and delivering training and tools to build cultures of psychological safety and learning.

4. Develop Board Confidence and Capability

We have a team with a track record in designing and facilitating:

• Trustee induction and development workshops.

• Scenario-based learning around risk, reputation, or safeguarding.

• Reflection sessions linking governance to real-world challenges (funding, partnerships, brand trust).

5. Use Governance as a Fundraising and Partnership Lever

We’ve also got brand and partnership experts who know that strong governance can be a competitive advantage when securing funding or partnerships:

• Demonstrating compliance and accountability.

• Showcasing strategic clarity and cultural integrity.

• Building funder confidence through transparency and impact reporting.

Want to hear more? 

If you’re a charity working in sport and social impact and you want a conversation about how we can help you use the updated Charity Governance Code to your advantage, feel free to drop us a line on hello@affleckandco.com.