Community group constitution template

Whatever the legal form, a workable constitution covers roughly the same ground:

1. Name and area of operation. The registered name; the geographic area the group serves
2. Objects (purposes). Why the group exists. For a charity, the purposes must fall within Charities Act 2011 s.3 and demonstrate public benefit. This is the clause to get right: badly drafted purposes are the most common reason for Charity Commission rejection
3. Powers. What the group can do to pursue its purposes — usually a long enumerated list (raise funds, employ people, hold property, enter contracts, insure, etc.)
4. Membership.Who can be a member, how members are admitted and resign, members' rights
5. Committee / trustees. Number, election, term, removal, conflicts of interest, powers
6. Meetings. AGMs, board meetings, notice, quorum, voting, written resolutions, virtual / hybrid
7. Finances. Bank accounts, signatories, year-end, accounting standards, examiner / auditor appointment
8. Amendment.How the constitution itself can be changed (typically a 75% special resolution at a members' meeting)
9. Dissolution. How the group can be wound up and what happens to its assets. For a charity, assets must transfer to another charity with similar purposes

• Charity Commission CC22a(unincorporated charitable association): on GOV.UK under “Charity Commission model documents”
• Foundation and Association CIO model constitutions (November 2023 versions): on GOV.UK alongside the CIO registration service
• OSCR SCIO model constitution: on oscr.org.uk
• CIC36 community interest statement and model articles: on GOV.UK under “Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies”
• NCVO model constitutions for unincorporated non-charitable groups: on ncvo.org.uk (member resources)
• Local CVS or council infrastructure body for region-specific or activity-specific templates
• Sector-specific models: ACRE for village halls; National Federation of Women's Institutes for WIs; Sport England for sports clubs; etc.

For a new group, the process:

1. Hold an inaugural meeting of intended members (or trustees, for a Foundation CIO)
2. Resolve to adopt the constitution with all bracketed details filled in
3. Elect the initial committee / trustees per the constitution's rules
4. Minute the meeting — keep it as evidence
5. Open a bank accountin the group's name with the constitution as supporting document — see community group bank account
6. Register with the relevant regulatorif required — Charity Commission (E&W > £5k income), OSCR, CCNI, Companies House (for incorporated forms)

Most groups amend their constitution at some point — to update purposes, broaden membership, change the trustee structure, or modernise procedural clauses.

The Charities Act 2022 Phase 3 (in force 7 March 2024) introduced a new statutory power for unincorporated charities to amend their governing documents (s.280A Charities Act 2011), making changes easier than they used to be. Regulated alterations (purposes, trustee benefits, dissolution clauses) still require Charity Commission consent.

For CIOs and charitable companies, the regulated-alterations regime applies similarly under the relevant rules. For CICs, asset-lock-related changes need Office of the Regulator of CICs approval.

Always pass amendments at a properly noticed members' meeting with the constitutional quorum and required majority (usually 75% special resolution). Don't skip the procedural steps — amendments passed irregularly are vulnerable to challenge.

• UK community group legal structures →

  The structure choice that determines which constitution to use.

• Starting a community group in the UK →

  From kitchen-table idea to registered organisation.

• Community group governance basics →

  The trustee duties and decision-making framework the constitution exists to operationalise.

• Community group bank account →

  A constitution is one of the documents the bank will want.

• Unincorporated association explained →

  The default form for which CC22a is the standard model.

• Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) explained →

  The destination form for which the November 2023 model is mandatory.

• Charity Commission CC22a (unincorporated charitable association model)
• Charity Commission Foundation and Association CIO model constitutions (November 2023)
• Charities Act 2011 ss.3 (charitable purposes), 4 (public benefit), 280A (Phase 3 governing-document amendments power, in force 7 March 2024)
• OSCR SCIO model constitution
• Office of the Regulator of CICs model articles and CIC36
• NCVO model constitutions for unincorporated non-charitable groups
• ACRE model documents for village halls