Guidance suggests alternatives to creating a new charity; includes step-by-step guide to setting up a new charity; explains the registration process
The Charity Commission has published revised guidance on setting up and registering a charity. The core guidance on How to set up a charity (CC21a) is designed as a practical and concise "how-to" guide, broken down into seven steps. The core document is accompanied by more detailed guidance on writing charitable purposes, choosing a charity name, recruiting trustees and applying to register.
The Commission has also published revised guidance on Charity types: how to choose a structure (CC22a) and on How to write your governing document (CC22b).
The Commission hopes the user-friendly format will encourage people to think carefully before setting up a charity; the guidance suggests alternatives to creating a new charity, such as volunteering for an existing charity, setting up a named donor fund with a Community Foundation or establishing a charitable trust with the Charities Aid Foundation.
The guidance on How to register your charity (CC21b) explains the registration process; its purpose is to help ensure applicants better understand the process and improve the quality of applications. The regulator says that the most commonly made mistakes in applications include not providing sufficient information to enable the regulator to make a registration decision and poorly drafted charitable purposes. An organisation's purposes are key to deciding whether or not it is a charity. How to write charitable purposes explains how to write purposes to make it clear what the charity is set up to achieve, how it will achieve it, who will benefit and where.
For further information, visit: www.charitycommission.gov.uk/news/new-guides-on-setting-up-and-registering-a-charity/