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wycas e-bulletin

Thursday 28 September 2017

Nomination for “Accountancy Firm of the Year”!

We were delighted to learn that WYCAS has been nominated for the 'Accountancy Firm of the Year' award by the Association of International Accountants (AIA). This is a real accolade for our small charity as the AIA Awards are designed to recognise the best that the accountancy profession has to offer. Crucially It is also recognition of the importance and value of community accounting.  Winners will be announced in London on the evening of 5th October. Further information is available in our news item!

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Charity Commission launches new annual return service

The Charity Commission has launched its new digital service for charities completing their 2017 annual return.  It is the latest development in the regulator’s digital transformation programme. Digital services to enable charities to change their name or update their governing document are also expected to launch in the next couple of months.  The new service means that when charities come to fill out their 2018 annual return, they will be asked to confirm that some information is still accurate, rather than be required to re-enter it.  The Commission has produced guidance on using the new service.

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Insurance guide - update

We’ve recently updated and re-issued our Insurance Good Practice Guide. It is available for free, together with all our other guides from our website. We would like to thank Tim Larden of Ladbrook Insurance for his help with this update.

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New Draft Charity Bill

The Law Commission has published a report on technical issues in charity law and a new Draft Charities Bill, with proposed reforms to make running a charity easier and cheaper as well as confer new powers on the Charity Commission.   The Law Commission has made a number of recommendations, including giving charities more flexibility to obtain tailored advice, making it easier to amend governing documents and removing barriers to mergers. It estimates that giving charities more flexibility over land sales could save the sector £2.8m per year.

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Small charities need more accountancy support

There is a significant gap between the needs of small charities and the capacity of those that provide accountancy support, a report from the Charity Finance Group (CFG) has shown. The umbrella body’s report State of small charity accountancy and support service providers says that local infrastructure needs more support if it is going to meet the needs of small charities, and this is particularly the case in the area of small charity accountancy. At WYCAS we recognise these findings and concur with the report’s conclusions. We are supporting CFG’s initiative to strengthen the role of community accounting nationally. Of course WYCAS is pleased to be able to offer this support in West Yorkshire and further afield as required.

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Role of the Community Accountant – article

We were very pleased to have the opportunity to profile the importance of community accounting in the latest edition of CFG’s Finance Focus journal. It includes details of a typical day in the life of a community accountant, in this case our Leeds accountant Claire Welling. The article is available on our website.

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Promoting your finance opportunities with WYCAS

At WYCAS we often get requests about potential opportunities for both paid and voluntary work or from organisations looking to fill relevant posts and roles.

We’ve introduced a new finance opportunities section on our website where organisations will be able to advertise their opportunities. For example, these might be job vacancies, treasurer roles or other voluntary positions. People who have skills that can be offered may also be promoted, for example self-employed book-keepers, folk looking to volunteer etc. We will also include any future opportunities at WYCAS on this page.  The new page is located as a drop down item under the “news” menu and our first vacancy is on the list.

Please note we are not endorsing either the vacancy or any service offered however we want to help support our clients wherever we can and hence are offering this promotion opportunity. Details can be sent to info@wycas.org.uk for inclusion and will be subject to acceptance.

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E-bulletin

Our e-bulletin is issued on a monthly basis and sent directly to registered subscribers. It is also available from our website. Please note that information and resources contained in the e-bulletin are general in nature and not intended as specific advice or recommendations. We welcome any feedback on the content and format so that we can improve it and make sure it meets your needs. Please let us know  if you have any comments or suggestions.

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Our services

WYCAS provides a range of specialist services designed to meet the needs of the third sector:

• One to one support and training
• Preparation of year-end accounts
• Independent examination
• Financial training courses and workshops
• Computerising accounts
• Bookkeeping and management accounts
• Advice and information
• Bespoke consultancy projects

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