It can be an incredibly exciting time when things have been going well at your charity and you can start to think about expanding, bringing in more staff or introducing new events and activities. But a crucial part of these growth plans is making sure that you have the right skills, processes and insurance in place to cope with these changes, so that your organisation is fully covered and able to develop in a way that\u2019s both realistic and sustainable even whilst your charity is changing.<\/p>\n
So if your charity is experiencing a growth period, it\u2019s important to be aware of the wider not-for-profit environment and the future challenges you\u2019re likely to face.<\/p>\n
Check the basics<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Your ability to change your charity will depend on its structure and governing document. There are four types of charity structure;<\/p>\n These determine factors such as whether or not you can employ staff. Changing your charity\u2019s structure can be complicated, but there are more details on the government\u2019s website. Trustees should also check their governing document \u2013 it\u2019s likely that it\u2019ll need amending to reflect the new changes.<\/p>\n Staff and volunteers<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n To begin with, many charities are run only by the trustees; but over time you\u2019ll probably need to take on additional staff and\/or volunteers. During the recruitment process it\u2019s important to communicate your expansion plans and explain to candidates what will be expected of them in their roles, choosing individuals who fit into your wider goals and beliefs.<\/p>\n Partnerships<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n It can be a good idea to pool together resources and talent from another organisation whose work is relevant to your charity. This collaborative approach can benefit both parties and you\u2019ll be better equipped to deal with the growing demands and responsibilities facing your charity. If a partnership doesn\u2019t sound appealing, consider getting in touch with a larger organisation to see if they\u2019ll mentor you on what to expect and prepare for during the expansion process.<\/p>\n Finance<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n As your organisation develops, you\u2019ll need to keep a tighter grip on your finances and ensure that every penny is accounted for. Handling budgets, controlling transactions and balancing the books carefully are all key to successful expansion; so if money isn\u2019t your forte, make sure you employ a skilled accountant or financial expert to keep an eye on this side of the business.<\/p>\n Income changes<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that when your charity starts to earn more than \u00a35,000 per year, you\u2019ll have to register it with the Charity Commission. Visit their website for more information on how to do this, as well as the various reporting and accounting methods you may have to conduct, according to your size.<\/p>\n Insurance<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n No matter what type of charity you operate, there are various not-for-profit insurance products that offer a range of cover options. This ranges from compulsory cover \u2013 such as Employer\u2019s Liability and Motor insurance \u2013 to additional options such as Public Liability, Material Damage and \u2018All Risks\u2019 cover, which covers you for all loss or damage, even that which occurs away from your registered premises. As your activities widen and the organisation becomes more complex, it\u2019s crucial to research or revisit your insurance options to make sure that you\u2019re covered for any eventualities or contact ThirdSectorProtect<\/a> <\/span><\/strong>for friendly, expert advice on what policies your charity needs to stay protected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It can be an incredibly exciting time when things have been going well at your charity and you can start to think about expanding, bringing in more staff or introducing new events and activities. But a crucial part of these growth plans is making sure that you have the right skills, processes and insurance in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[3,67,15],"tags":[55,58],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/thirdsectorprotect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/thirdsectorprotect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/thirdsectorprotect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/thirdsectorprotect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/thirdsectorprotect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1913"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/thirdsectorprotect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6008,"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/thirdsectorprotect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913\/revisions\/6008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/thirdsectorprotect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/thirdsectorprotect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkportfolio.co.uk\/ncinsurance.co.uk\/thirdsectorprotect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n