Thursday 21 July 2011

The cheque lives on!

Following feedback from consultation the Payments Council has announced that its target for the closure of cheque clearing (abolition of cheques) scheduled for 2018 had been cancelled.  In announcing this decision the Council stated that cheques will continue for as long as customers need them.  Further information can be found here.

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Avoiding problems in running your charity

The Charity Commission has recently issued some useful material to help manage the risk of things going wrong. It includes 10 important questions trustees need to consider to avoid common problems. The tools should also be helpful for non charitable bodies.

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Bribery Act

The Bribery Act came into force on 1 July 2011. It has potential implications for charities particularly charitable companies carrying out commercial activities or operating internationally.  The Charity Commission has updated its Compliance Toolkit – Protecting Charities from Harm, guidance available here. The Ministry of Justice guidance can be found here.

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Thought for the month....

The current operating environment for many groups and charities is challenging. In this situation it is particularly important to consider risk and how best to manage the things that will stop you achieving your objectives.  But when thinking about financial or broader business risk it is also important not to forget that risk can also have an upside. It may be difficult, but it could be worth bearing in mind ....  ‘what if things turn out horribly right!?’

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The 'Balanced Sheet' - Summer Edition

The latest edition of our newsletter is currently being sent out to subscribers and is now available from our website. Articles include a Q&A with our new Chief Officer and a finance question to ‘Cassie’ our virtual Community Accountant ‘Agony Aunt’.

Worst timed article award! -  We also included an update on the proposed abolition of cheques only to hear news that this had been cancelled after we had gone to print.  Sorry for any resulting inconvenience or confusion.

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2011 User evaluations - advance warning!

Every year we carry out a detailed survey of those organisations that we serve to see how we are performing and how we can improve our services further. We normally do this in the Summer but this year we will send the survey out after the holidays in September to try and make sure we get the best possible response.

We are also looking at the possibility of using alternative ways to respond. If you have used our services and receive a survey, please do fill it in. We would really appreciate your feedback. Thank you!

You can find the results of our recent annual surveys here.

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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 form our website.  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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