Jen Gerrard looks at the news and updates from the world of charity compliance.
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Small charity week is here
It’s Small Charity week this week (19 to 24 June), celebrating and raising awareness of the essential work of the UK’s small charity sector.
To find out more about the origins of the event click here. In the meantime, here’s an overview of each day’s activities.
- I love Small charities Day – 19 June
- Big Advice Day – 20 June
- Policy Day – 21 June
- Fundraising Day – 22 June
- Small Charity Big Impact Day – 23 June
- Celebration Day – 24 June
As professional advisors to the sector it’s a great opportunity for us to share the love with our charity clients!
Visit the Small Charity Week dedicated website for more detail on the above and information for your clients about events local to them.
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Charity Commission appoints next CEO
Helen Stephenson CBE has been appointed as the next chief executive of the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Helen will join the Commission on 18 July and succeeds Paula Sussex in the role.
Helen Stephenson said: “The charitable sector plays a crucial role in our national life and I am delighted to be joining the Charity Commission at this important time. It is an honour to be leading the dedicated and talented team at the Commission and Paula is handing over an organisation that is in excellent shape, well equipped to meet the challenges of the future. I look forward to working with the Commission’s staff to continue the ambitious plans we have set.”
William Shawcross, Chairman of the Charity Commission, said: “It is wonderful that Helen is joining us. The board and I are confident that she will be an outstanding leader and will build on the progress we have made in recent years. I know our excellent staff will give Helen a warm welcome and I look forward to working with her.”
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Fundraising Preference Service update
The Fundraising Regulator is gearing up for the introduction of their Fundraising Preference Service next month. Are you up to speed?
Charities with an annual fundraising spend exceeding £100,000 should have already received an email (sent from the Regulator on 8 May to charity Chief Executives) about getting set up on the system before it launches. Charities are advised to email [email protected] if they have not received it. All other charities will only be contacted once a suppression request has been lodged against their charity by a member of the public.
For more information, or to refresh your memory re what’s involved for your charity clients, click here.
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Social investment tax relief update
The effect of the general election means that the planned expansion of SITR within the Finance Bill 2017 has been delayed. The Finance Bill passed, but excluded some of the changes due to be made as per the Autumn Statement 2016. It is possible the SITR expansion will pass into law later this year, perhaps with retrospective effect.
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OSCR blog-watch
The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) has had a busy month, publishing the following practical guidance for charities:
- How to use OSCR Online to complete your annual return
- How to develop your Reserves Policy
- A guide to incorporation
- Don’t fund illegal activity – always give safely
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Consultations round-up
Here’s our monthly round-up of (and links to) key consultation opportunities and those closed, pending feedback.
The following consultation is currently open and inviting responses:
- Charity Commission for Northern Ireland - The Commission has opened a public consultation on its draft Serious incident reporting guidance, which will close at 5pm on Friday 21 July 2017. Take part via an online survey or postal form – links to which are available here.
The following consultations are closed with feedback analysis pending – watch this space for an update in future briefings:
- Charity Commission for England and Wales:
- Updating the framework for independent examination - closed on 30 September 2016 but was intended to apply to accounting periods ending on or after 31 March 2017.
- Reporting serious incidents in charities - closed on 12 January 2017.
- Annual return 2017 – closed on 9 March 2017
- The use and promotion of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM): making decisions about charitable status – closed on 19 May 2017. This consultation is about the Commission’s approach to deciding whether an organisation which uses or promotes CAM therapies is a charity.
- Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) - consulted on a research exercise intended to identify necessary changes for the next Charities SORP. This consultation ran from 4 May to 11 December 2016.
- Charity Tax Group – launched 10 May 2017, now closed - seeking views on potential exemptions within the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation. The EU’s GDPR will come into force in the UK from 25 May 2018. The response also calls for further discussions between HMRC, the ICO and charities to establish what is and is not permitted in respect of donor contact and Gift Aid.
- Northern Ireland Executive – review of business rates -closed date 16 February 2017
- HMRC – withdrawal of statutory concessions – closed on 7 March 2017
- HM Treasury - Money Laundering Regulations 2017 – published 15 March 2017, closed on 12 April 2017
- HMRC - Draft legislation: the Value Added Tax (Refund of Tax to Museums and Galleries) (Amendment) Order 2017 – published 27 March 2017, closed on 21 April 2017
- Fundraising regulator - the Code of Fundraising Practice – closed on 28 April 2017
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Jen is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and the founder and managing director of Gerrard Financial Consulting, a specialist accounting firm for the charitable sector. She has over 17 years’ experience working in accounting and finance and has also worked as an accountancy tutor for a leading training...