Professional advice for charities

Is your voluntary organisation losing out financially, or in credibility, by not being a charity?

Register your voluntary organisation (in England/Wales) as a charity with the Charity Commission.

Define your charitable objectives.

Does your newly- or recently-founded voluntary organisation wish to register as a charity and obtain the coveted registration number?

Registration as a charity does not confer charitable status, it constitutes official recognition of charitable status. It gives tax advantages both to the charity and to your donors, as well as credibility in the eyes of donors, the users of your services, and the public at large.

Your organisation must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Charity Commission that its purpose and its activities are charitable in nature, if it is to register as a charity.

We are aware of many voluntary organisations that have engaged in months, sometimes years, of inconclusive correspondence with the Charity Commission in an attempt to apply for registration. In some cases, registration has been obtained only after considerable delay and expense in legal fees, in others the attempt was abandoned.

We can offer objective advice to help you to cut through bureaucratic holdups and present your case for registration to the best advantage. We can work with your existing professional advisers (lawyers, accountants) or can assist in your choice of advisers.

A recent case study: timeline

Week 0: an educational charity was legally established as a charitable trust.
Week 13: the charity commenced its activities.
Week 18: we submitted an application for registration to the Charity Commission.
Week 28: charity registered with minor changes of wording to trust deed.

Q: When should you ask our advice?

A: When...

...you first contemplate establishing a charity.
...you are considering registering your existing voluntary organisation as a charity.
...you are having problems with your application for registration.

To request further information about our services...

...contact us

All contents (c) Charity Consulting.