Charity

Charities Act 2022: What are the March 2024 changes?

The Charities Act 2022 received Royal Assent in early 2022, and has been implemented in phases since then. Two years later, and we are at the final phase, with a last tranche of provisions of the Act coming into force on 7 March (except that concerning ex gratia payments which has been pushed back to … Read more …

Setting up a non-PCC trust

The Parochial Church Councils (PCCs) of evangelical churches have many questions to ponder at the moment as they face potential changes in the established doctrines and practices of the Church of England. Aside from the deep theological and spiritual questions, many also have practical questions about the use and preservation of their assets for gospel … Read more …

Principles for preserving assets for gospel ministry

The Parochial Church Councils (PCCs) of evangelical churches have many questions to ponder at the moment as they face potential changes in the established doctrines and practices of the Church of England. Aside from the deep theological and spiritual questions, many also have practical questions about the use and preservation of their assets for gospel … Read more …

What will Martyn’s Law mean for churches and Christian ministries?

Until now protective security at UK venues has been entirely voluntary. ‘Martyn’s Law’ will change this, bringing in legal requirements for many venues – including churches – to ensure public safety on their premises. Background Following the Manchester Arena bombing attack in 2017, Martyn’s Law aims at preventing such acts of terrorism. While clearly having … Read more …

Charity names

We hope you have found our article on the new Charities Act useful. The first wave of changes being introduced by the new legislation came into force at the end of October 2022. After more recent changes came into force, we thought it would be helpful to flag up the change in relation to charity … Read more …

What are a charity’s reporting obligations to the Charity Commission?

A charity’s reporting and accounting obligations to the Charity Commission will depend on a number of factors including whether the charity is exempt or excepted from registration, whether the charity is a company, the charity’s gross annual income, and the value of the charity’s assets.  (Note that this Article only deals with a charity’s obligations … Read more …

Old register of members

Register of Members – do you know where yours is?

While it’s generally evident who your trustees or directors are, ‘members’ form an all too often forgotten component of charitable companies and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs). We’re not talking about members in the sense you might be more used to at church, but are referring to it in its legal definition – akin to shareholders … Read more …

hybrid meeting

Beyond COVID-19: Thinking biblically about hybrid church members’ meetings

In response to the lockdown restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing concern for people’s health, many churches have been holding their general meetings online – either amending their constitutions to allow for this, or (when it was in force from June 2020 to March 2021) making use of the Government’s emergency legislation. Some churches … Read more …

fundraising regulator code

What you need to know about the Fundraising Code of Practice

Who is the Fundraising Regulator? The Regulator manages a system of fundraising self-regulation and provides advice to two main constituencies – fundraisers and members of the public. You can find their guidance for those two groups here: Key behaviours expected of fundraisers: guidance for fundraisers Key behaviours you should expect from fundraisers: advice for the … Read more …