Under the new annual return regime, registered charities will be obliged to provide additional key information to the Commission including:
- Whether the charity pays its trustees;
- Whether the charity is a member of the Fundraising Standards Board;
- Whether the charity has written risk, investment, safeguarding and conflicts of interest policies;
- Whether the charity has a trading subsidiary; and
- Whether the charity raises funds from the public and whether they work with a commercial participator.
Charities will also be encouraged to provide detailed
information regarding their aims and achievements for the
year.
The Summary Information Return will, however, be abolished as
recommended by Lord Hodgson.
The Commission has also stated that it intends to publish further
information on the online register of charities which it considers
of interest to the public. Information about various issues
including trading subsidiaries, commercial participators and
written policies will be displayed online. The Commission will also
display information it has been collecting historically such as
information about whether a charity was formed from a merger, or
whether a charitable company has been set up to receive the assets
of an unincorporated charity.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
