Cranfield Trust ’s Post

The charity sector is poised for significant change alongside the new Labour government - but how so? We can anticipate a renewed focus on social welfare, community support, and tackling inequality, which may bring increased funding opportunities for charities working in these areas. However, with potential shifts in policy, charities will need to ensure these align with new priorities while advocating for the causes that matter most to their communities. It's certainly an exciting time, but also one that requires strategic adaptation from the sector to make the most of the evolving landscape. Thoughts?👇

Register Your Section 8 Company with TrueRaiser Looking to start a non-profit organization or promote a social cause? Registering a Section 8 Company is the best choice for charitable, educational, or social welfare activities. Let TrueRaiser guide you through the process efficiently! What is a Section 8 Company? A company formed with the objective of promoting charity, education, science, or social welfare. Operates as a non-profit organization with tax exemptions. Benefits of Section 8 Company Registration Tax Benefits: Avail exemptions under various sections of the Income Tax Act. Credibility: Gain trust from donors and supporters. Separate Legal Entity: Protect your personal assets. Ease of Compliance: Comparatively less stringent than other company types. Why Choose TrueRaiser? Expert Guidance: From documentation to approval, we simplify it all. Affordable Pricing: Get premium services at competitive rates. Dedicated Support: Our team ensures a hassle-free experience. Steps for Section 8 Registration with TrueRaiser Submit your documents. We handle the preparation and filing. Receive your Certificate of Incorporation hassle-free. Get Started Today! Empower your social mission with a Section 8 Company. Visit www.trueraiser.com and make the process seamless with TrueRaiser! #Section8Company #NonProfitRegistration #TrueRaiser #SocialImpact #CharityWork #LegalSupport

Community and fellowship is of high importance for us as an orginisation in South Africa

This is such an important issue and needs to be viewed widely and discussed extensively. Clearly, some charity boards are populated with people for whom there need be no consideration about paying them...in fact, it is the volunteering act of contributing their time and expertise which defines the point of having them engage with the organisation in the first place. But the problem is that too many charity boards are only comprised of such people, meaning that key voices are not at the table...and making sure that they are there going forward is a critical topic which every board needs to review and then make conscious decisions and implement concrete plans.

Community service organisations, it's time to check your eligibility for income tax exemption! 🏢🌟 Important Steps: Lodge Your NFP Self-Review Return: Non-charitable NFPs with an active ABN need to lodge an annual return. For the 2023–24 income year, lodge between 1 July and 31 October 2024. Self-Assess Your Main Purpose: Your organisation's main purpose must be a community service purpose. Altruistic purposes that benefit the wellbeing of others qualify. Political or lobbying purposes do not qualify. Example of Eligibility: Eligible: The Hill Community Club, which supports community activities and provides networking opportunities, qualifies as its main purpose is to improve community welfare. Ineligible: Young Leaders Association, focusing on professional development and leadership for its members, does not qualify as its main purpose is not community service. Ensure your organisation meets the criteria before lodging your return. For more details, visit the official website. #CommunityService #IncomeTaxExempt #NFP #NonProfit #GirlFridaySydney #TaxCompliance #CommunitySupport #NonProfitOrganization

Plan to add another 5 registered welfare organizations to my list of beneficiaries this year to which I make regular charitable donations. That will bring the total to 20 :-) #donate #donations #donating #charity #charities #goodcause #dogood #phylanthropy #phylanthropies

And do make use of Directory of Social Change free governance self-assessment tool - https://lnkd.in/eW8W9PT8 It’s based around the 7 key areas of the Governance Code and produces a report for you to discuss at your Board meetings on how well they are performing. It also comes with advice and guidance about how to have a productive discussion about the results. And did I say - it’s FREE!

How to prevent charity governance going 🍐-shaped; 8 musings for #TrusteesWeek2024 1. Recruit the "right" people to your trustee board: relevant skills and experiences (by which I don't necessarily mean a career at the top level of a multi-national, being a social worker, fundraiser or carer could be just as useful); a heavy dose of lived experience; a passion for the charity; enough time to do it justice. All of which from diverse backgrounds. 2. Induct trustees properly and expect them to keep developing themselves. No trustee can possibly know it all, however useful the stuff they do know is. 3. Get all your 🦆 s in a row in terms of policies - e.g. delegation of authority, trustees' code of conduct, conflicts of interest, DEI, safeguarding. And review your governing document - many came in with the arc and need updating. 4. Build in (respectful) debate. If trustee meetings are warm, easy, quick - you've got a problem. Charities deal with some of the most difficult social and environmental issues - we need debate and discussion. 5. Get a decent chair (or co-chairs). Worrying signs are chairs hogging the floor, some trustees barely speaking, decisions being made outside the room. 6. Refresh your trustees regularly. Use trustee terms pro-actively (if your governing document doesn't have them, write them in). 7. If you have a CEO, get the balance between support and challenge right. Don't meddle in the operations. Respect their expertise. Don't make them feel rubbish (this is more common than not). Understand your respective responsibilities. 8. Is your board doing a good job? How would you know? Assess yourselves in whichever way you think is most useful (any way is better than not asking it at all). Common sense, but not common practice. Do all this in the good times and it will serve you in the bad.

Such an important point raised by Baroness Fraser in the House of Lords this week, at a time when our innovative, communities led services have never been needed more, the third sector is faced with as the Baroness describes this “perfect storm” where employers costs are rising through Living Wage and NI amongst others, our income is being squeezed by reducing budgets and our potential trust/foundation income is becoming all but invisible, as trusts spend down, close and adapt their eligibility most often to micro level turnover, leaving previous small to medium sized charities out in the cold. What worries me more about this is our sectors ever ambitious and creative ways of “make do and mend”, we’ll come together, share this resource, share that, do without this and make that fit. This is in my view is not the answer. We always ofcourse make sure the outward facing services are maintained for our communities but ultimately the pressure is then borne by our colleagues. We ask enough of them, to work to the highest of standards, embracing and living our values, too often for significantly less than they would receive in the public or private sector for similar levels of responsibility or less. The time to stand up for our sector is now, for greater recognition of the positive impact we make in our communities, the gaps we fill without being asked or often paid. I understand budgets are tight and we need to make changes but consideration must be given to the differing impacts and levels of impact that such change has on our sector and our communities. PLEASE TAKE A STEP BACK, THINK OF THE BIGGER PICTURE AND THE MEDIUM TO LONGER TERM WHEN CONSIDERING CHANGE BUT MOST OF ALL CONSIDER ITS IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON EACH SEGMENT IT MAY TOUCH.

Until you have been a trustee, or volunteered in another role, you will never understand the benefits it brings. This benefit is not only to the organisation with whom you volunteer but also to you. There are so many opportunities to use your skills, or even learn new ones, and I promise you it will be the best thing you ever did! #countmein #makeyourfinanceskillscount #makeyourskillscount #alwayslearning #volunteering Charterpath