Latest Not For Profit

  Charity law (the Charities Act 2011) describes charity trustees as ‘the persons having the general control and management of the administration of a charity’.   All properly appointed members of a charity are trustees in law, regardless of the title they have received. All trustees share equal responsibility for the charity and must always…

This week is Trustees’ Week, an annual event to showcase the work that is carried out by trustees and to spread the word in order to get more people involved.   2021 is the 11th year of Trustees’ Week, with over one million trustees in the UK to celebrate and show appreciation for. Another purpose…

The charity annual return service is now available for 2021 and can be found on the link below. https://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/   Charities need to submit their annual return within 10 months of the financial year end.   Dependant on the level of income, the annual return has different requirements; Income under £10,000 It is only the…

Due to Coronavirus, the Charity Commission had previously released guidance allowing Charities to postpone their scheduled AGMs to 30th September 2020, and allowing them to be held digitally.   This guidance has now been updated to allow postponement of AGMs to 30th December 2020.   The updated guidance can be viewed at – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-the-charity-sector  

In recent months many charities have found themselves in financial difficulties and an uncertainty of long-term survival, often caused by factors out of their control. Most notably the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak, which has had several knock-on effects such as a reduction in donation income or decreased operating capacity during the tightened lockdown rules. Other external…

The Charity Commission has launched a new public register for charities – making information more transparent.   Using the below link, anyone can search for details of a charity which includes data such as financials, who the trustees are, and whether the charity fundraises from the public.   The Charity Commission wants members of the…

The spread of Coronavirus is being exploited by criminals to carry out fraud and cybercrime. Latest data from police shows there has been an increase in Coronavirus related scams.   Any charity is at risk, but especially those providing services to the local community during this crisis. Common frauds and cybercrimes to be aware of…

  The government have recently updated their guidance to help protect charities from fraud. The guidance contains advice, regulatory alerts and links to other helpful websites to help charities to understand fraud and how to protect themselves against it. In December 2017, Action Fraud opened a cyber-attack helpline. If you experience a live cyber-attack, this…

  In November 2017, the government posted research into awareness and effectiveness of trusteeship in England and Wales. This recommended that charities should do more to promote diversity on their boards. This would involve encouraging applications from women, young people and people from ethnic minority and socially diverse backgrounds. Some of the key findings of…

  Charities with the financial year end of 31 March 2017 must submit their annual return by 31 January 2018, 10 months after the year end. What you need to submit varies based on whether it is an un-incorporated organisation or a charitable company. It also varies based on income of the charity – requiring…