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Ngā Kōrero o Charlotte
(Message from Charlotte)
Tēnā koutou katoa,
I wanted to start this newsletter by thanking you for the ongoing mahi (work) that charities have continued to deliver after the recent North Island flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle. The support you provide is often the backbone of our communities and will play a key role in our country’s recovery.
Charlotte Stanley, General Manager
I would also like to reassure you that our approach remains as flexible and pragmatic as possible. We are here to help, so if you or your charity has been impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle and you are concerned about your ability to file your annual report - please get in touch with the team at info@charities.govt.nz.
Here at Charities Services, we are keen to work and engage with you all. We have had strong interest in our
one-on-one zoom clinics, which have re-opened for the year. These give you time to talk to one of our team members on a range of different topics. Sign up for your clinic by visiting our Eventbrite. We are also pleased to be running our first He Rourou Atawhai (Basket of Generosity) of the year tomorrow. This is an evening zoom held once a month where we offer a brief presentation, followed by a group discussion to answer your questions. Keep an eye on our Facebook and Eventbrite pages for upcoming topics and information on how to join.
Like many of you, we are keenly awaiting the outcome of the Charities Amendment Bill. The Bill is still in the select committee process, with a second reading in Parliament later this year. Thank you to all of you who have made submissions to the committee. All information surrounding the Bill can be found on the Parliament website.
Finally, I want to acknowledge how challenging the last few months have been for many of you. So, if there is anything that we can do to support your charity with filing annual returns or more general questions, please get in touch. We are here to help.
Nā Charlotte Stanley
Kaiwhakahaere Matua, General Manager
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Disaster Assistance – support and funding for organisations
There is lots of support for charities affected by the North Island floods and Cyclone Gabrielle. We have listed a few useful options and resources below. But please also get in touch with your local funders to find out what they are offering and how you can apply.
The Government announced the establishment of a short-term funding package of $15 million to accelerate the Māori-led response to Cyclone Gabrielle. You can find out more about it and how to apply on the Te Puni Kōkiri website.
Do you want to talk to a DIA Hapai Hapori Community Advisor (COGS, Lottery and other grants) to see what they can offer your organisation? You can find the contact details of each office on this page and it also shows what grants are available to apply for.
If you need help with applying for grants, get in touch with Hui E! who offer their Hoa Pūtea | Grant Writing Support service, pairing small sized community groups with skilled volunteer grant writers. If you are a skilled grant writer, they are always on the lookout for volunteers.
If you are a philanthropist wanting to give or a community group in need of funding have a look at the Storm Recovery page set up by Match | Te Puna Taurite. It is full of useful information and links to resources.
The Centre for Social Impact have collated information about funding for organisations in the Northland/Auckland regions following the flooding earlier in the year and have updated it since Cyclone Gabrielle. You can find out more here.
To find out more about the funding available in the Government Community Support Package please visit this page. Please note funding through this Community Support Package is time-limited and only available until 30 June 2023. If you have any questions about this funding, please email the team at Community_Information@msd.govt.nz.
Hot Tips for Funding Webinar
Knowing how to apply for funding can be tricky! Join us as we host our Hāpai Hapori (Community Operations) colleagues for the “Hot tips for Funding” webinar on Wednesday 5 April from 12pm - 1pm. The experts from the Community Advisory team will offer some tips and advice to help your organisation to get ready to apply for funding from the Department of Internal Affairs.
It’s a great introductory webinar for organisations that are new to grant funding and who are not familiar with the process. The presentation is 30 mins long so we will have lots of time for your questions. You can register for the webinar by clicking this link.
He Rourou Atawhai
This year we are bringing back our monthly evening sessions He Rourou Atawhai (Basket of Generosity), starting tomorrow!
He Rourou Atawhai sessions are 45 minutes long, beginning at 7pm with a quick ten-minute presentation. These sessions allow people who otherwise couldn’t attend workshops or events during typical business hours to come along, ask questions and learn from each other. These sessions are not recorded.
To sign up for tomorrow’s session visit our Eventbrite.
If you have some ideas on topics you would like covered, please let us know!
Clinics Re-opening
April one-on-one clinics are now open!
Come and talk to our team one-on-one and get the help and assistance you need. You can talk to us about pre-application advice on your rules, financial reporting, and governance.
These 20-minute one-on-one clinics are free and held online via zoom so we can answer the questions you might have about being a registered charity.
Time to think about reporting.
Data from the Charities Register shows that over the next three months approximately 20% of registered charities will be getting ready to file their annual returns. We know that a lot of you are very busy this time of year, so we have a range of information and guidance on our website to help you prepare.
Many of you are Tier 3 or Tier 4 charities and you may find these resources designed for your tier helpful as well.
Remember, if you are a small Tier 4 charity you may be able to use the simple template. This template is suited to charities with a single bank account, few or no other significant resources, few or no significant commitments and you have not entered into other complex transactions (such as multi-year grants or controlling businesses).
You may need to pay a fee to file your annual return. You can find out more here on the fee summary page. If you have any questions related to reporting, please email us at info@charities.govt.nz or book into a clinic to receive some one on one support.
The Charities Support Team
The Charities Support team is the first point of contact for most charities. If you’ve ever filled in an Annual Return, made a payment, or contacted us then chances are you will have been in contact with them. The team are always happy to help with forgotten passwords, updates to changes in your charity and providing guidance to you. They are skilled at directing you to information on our website and are passionate about engaging with charities across Aotearoa. They are here to support you!
If you need general help or guidance the best way to reach the team is to email info@charities.govt.nz. If you want to have a chat about something more specific please call us on 0508 242 748 and leave a voice message and one of the team will call you back.
GOVERNANCE MATTERS
It's easier to practice good governance when you know what your responsibilities are, and you have the right tools to use. Make sure you take some time to learn about your role as an officer. You can also find this resource in multiple languages. Feel free to share it with your board or committee at your next meeting.
Community Governance Aotearoa have a great board pack for grassroot charities. It includes a template agenda, minutes, a statement to record your financial position for monthly meetings, information about running strategy sessions and a sample governance CV document. The files are editable so you can customise them to suit your charity. Have a look at their fantastic resource hub for more governance information and support.
SECTOR SHOWCASE
We love the NZ Navigator Trust (CC55129) because of the work they do to support and grow community organisations across Aotearoa. They operate three different capability building websites, CommunityNet Aotearoa, NZ Navigator and Digital Stuff We Love.
To learn more about the mahi they do across Aotearoa, click on this link
To read all our sector showcases or to find out how your charity could be featured in the future, visit our website.
QUICK NEWS OF INTEREST
Community Organisation Grants Scheme is opening!
Our colleagues in Hāpai Hapori Community Operations administer the COGS fund, which provides grants to non-profit organisations delivering community-based social services that contribute to achieving locally determined outcomes.
This opens on 5 April 2023 and closes on 3 May 2023. Hāpai Hapori also administer Lottery funds.
To apply and find out more information about COGS, please visit their website.
INCORPORATED SOCIETIES UPDATES
The 2022 Act introduces new features such as a contact person, consent to be a member, the requirement for a society to have a committee, duties for officers, dispute resolution processes, the ability for societies to amalgamate and new accounting standards for financial reporting to name a few. These changes are intended to help officers run societies and provide members with a clear understanding of how their societies should operate.
Read more about the key changes the new Act will bring »
You can also sign up to receive regular updates here.
UPDATES FROM WIDER GOVERNMENT
Updates from Inland Revenue
Donated trading stock; 12-month extension
The donated trading stock concession has been extended from 31 March 2023 to 31 March 2024. The temporary relief ensures that donations of trading stock to approved donee organisations and public authorities will qualify for an income tax deduction. Disposals of trading stock below market value to other non-associated organisations will benefit from relief from the anti-avoidance rule, but will only qualify for an income tax deduction if they can show they have a business purpose for making the disposal.
For more information, please visit Tax relief for businesses that donate trading stock (ird.govt.nz)
You can help people who donate to you by giving them a receipt with all the details we need. If any details are missing, the person who donated may not be able to get money back for that donation.
For more information and to see our donation receipt template (IR1130) please visit Helping people who donate to you claim their refund (ird.govt.nz)
Have your contact details or members changed recently?
Please make sure your organisations’ contact details and names of current members, executive officer holders or trustees are updated with us. This makes the process faster should we need to get in contact with you.
If you need to get in touch to update any details, please contact IR through your myIR account. For more information, please visit myIR Secure Online Services (ird.govt.nz) or email them at charities.queries@ird.govt.nz
RESOURCES
Latest blogs
Just had an AGM? Don’t forget to update your charity’s details
Myth Busting: your officers always need to be NZ Citizens and physically in New Zealand
Myth Busting: you need an accountant to prepare your Performance Report
Cartel activity - illegal and harmful to procurement
Being a registered charity makes you a legal entity
Reflections on the 2022 New Zealand Charities Reporting Awards
5 things charities need to know about the new Incorporated Societies Act
Click here to view all our past blogs
