Charity Commission
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New commission website gives a one stop shop for all
Today charity trustees will find it quicker and easier to update their charity's information online, send accounts and file their annual returns from the comfort of their own armchair, by logging on to the new Charity Commission website. The site will also feature a new Google-based search tool and a simpler structure, making the Commission's advice and guidance more accessible. And members of the public will be able to check more easily than ever that an organisation claiming to be a charity really is. With over 39 million hits on the website in the last year, these changes will have a big impact.
The completely redesigned website at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk also gives the latest information on the Charities Act 2006 and makes it easier and quicker for charities to meet their obligations.
All charities can take advantage of an improved range of online services, allowing them to present their work more quickly to the public at a time that suits them. Charities can sign-up for access to the secure online service and will then be able to update their details on the register of charities and see this new information on the Commission's website within 24 hours.
Other features of the website include:
* easy access direct from the homepage to a searchable register of charities, providing the public with details of a charity's accounts, its trustees and what it's set up to do
* the first annual return - AR07 - and for smaller charities, the Annual Update, specifically designed to be completed online
* a secure facility for charity trustees to report serious incidents to us
* 'Browsealoud' - a feature that reads web pages aloud for people who find it difficult to read online
* improved search capability using Google technology
Andrew Hind, Chief Executive of the Charity Commission said:
"Charities have a lot on their plates. We are always looking for ways in which we can free them up from unnecessary bureaucracy and make it easier for them to provide us with the information we need so they can get on with their vital work.
Our new website makes the most of the benefits of interactive
technology, improving the
quality of the information charities
give us, strengthening the relevance of advice we give them, and
providing the general public with a valuable window on the work of
the charitable sector."
Ends.
Notes to editors:
1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator for charitable activity in England and Wales. See http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk for further information. All charities must prepare accounts and make them available on request.
The duty to file accounts and the Trustees' Annual Report with the Commission applies to all registered charities with and income and expenditure over $10K
Charities whose annual income exceeds £10k also have to send a completed Annual Return to the Commission
These documents must be sent to us within ten months of the financial year end. For more information on the accounting and reporting framework for charities, please see CC15 Charity Reporting and Accounting: the essentials: http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/publications/cc15.asp
2. All charity trustees should report serious incidents to the Commission as soon as they are aware of them. Trustees can report serious incidents to the Commission in one of the following ways:
* through contacting Charity Commission Direct (PO Box 1227, Liverpool, LS9 3UG)
* by calling 0845 300 0218
* by email at seriousincidentreporting@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk
* through completing the 'Reporting Serious Incidents' of the Annual Return
3. The online Register of Charities holds comprehensive information about each of the 190,000 registered charities in England and Wales. Members of the public can search for a charity by its name, registered charity number, using a keyword or by the area in which the charity operates. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk
4. Browsealoud is a free tool used to speech enable a website. It may assist the following:
* people with low literacy and reading skills
* people for whom English is not their first language
* people with dyslexia
* people with mild visual impairment
For more information visit: http://www.browsealoud.com
