Giving charity back to charity

Good news 
 

There is a long and distinguished history of charitable activity in England and Wales, much of it faith-led and mission inspired. The oldest English charity (the King's School, Canterbury) traces its origins back to St Augustine and his monks, who established a charitable school in the area served by the modern charity as far back as 597. So, churches and faith-based organisations, especially those involved in social welfare activities and anti-poverty initiatives, and those looking for better ways to "cycle" funds for social investment and to achieve social outcomes, will be keen to hear some of the good ideas in this report.
 

Registration - catching up

Progress in registering charities for which former ‘exceptions’ were to be withdrawn has been slow, in the five and a half years since the Charities Act 2006 was put on the statute book. Many churches and worship communities still waiting for their turn to become registered will find things speeding up now, as the report suggests a new process with a quicker timetable.

 

Encouraging social investment
 

Social investment is a visoinary approach to the use of finance, where funds are invested by a church or charity with clear aims to acheive “social impact” as an inherent part of the intended overall benefits from that investment. Some financial return is also usually planned, so the money can ultimately grow and be "cycled" onwards to fund another initiative, with other positive social impacts, in the future.

There are some very welcome ideas in the report about how perceived current barriers to social investment can be removed and how charity trustees can be freed up to make imaginative decisions about such investments.

Some "quick wins" - and a red tape bonfire?
 

Some excellent ideas are offered for ways in which the present regulatory and administrative burdens and costs for charities can be reduced - and some red tape be removed altogether. For instance, HMRC, the Charity Commission and Companies House should streamline their processes so charities don't have to make multiple filings of their accounts and annual trustees' reports with the different regulators, in different formats and by different communication methods (paper, online etc) 

How to learn more 

For more infomration about these proposals, including some free information sheets, contact cecile.gillard a_t burton-sweet d_o_t co d_o_t uk 0117 9142057