The Association of Charity Officers has changed its name to the Association of Charitable Organisations and increased the size of its trustee board from four to 11.

The ACO, which is the membership body for benevolent funds and other trusts and foundations that help individuals with grants and support, said it changed its name to “reflect changing times”.

Chief executive Dominic Fox, who joined in February, said the association was set up by charity officers (employees of benevolent funds) in 1946 “but I’ve yet to come across one”.  The term has fallen out of use and so the organisation decided to modernise.

The name change also coincides with an expansion of the charity’s remit and a planned marketing drive to attract new members.  Fox said there are around 2,000 charities that provide grants to individuals and the ACO currently has just 130 of them as members, so there is plenty of room for growth.

The charity has also elected a new board, growing it from four trustees to 11 with what Fox described as a “healthy gender balance” – six of the 11 are women.

In September the organisation will unveil a new logo and brand, though it will still be known as ACO, and publish its future plans as part of its recruitment drive. Later in the year it will also provide legal representation for benevolent funds at the Charity Tribunal hearing on public benefit.

“We have established a fund, a steering group and an executive of funds who will fund and manage the case for us,” Fox said.