Forming a Charity

An organisation or group of volunteers can be a charity if the objectives of the organisation or group fall within the 13 defined charitable purposes and the Public Benefit test can be met. It is not always necessary to register a charity and it is important to realise that a charity does not have to take a particular form in order to be recognised in law. Charities are non-profit making; this means that any profit generated can only be used to further the organisation.

 

There are many benefits to setting up a charity including tax reliefs, access to funding, raising and gaining public awareness and support. 

 

We can help you decide upon the most practical and efficient structure for your charity, the duties and obligations of your trustees, all the legal documentation you need to have in place and how to register your charity with the Charity Commission.

 

Once your charity is set up and registered, our input doesn’t have to end there. We can train your trustees on their continuing obligations, assist with land and asset transactions, deal with employment, restructuring and merger issues.

Should things go wrong or you need to bring your charity to an end, our Charity Team can assist to ensure all goes as smoothly as possible.

 

Because we understand the way charities work, we have even set up a Charity Law Helpline to deal with legal questions and problems as they come up giving you complete peace of mind to get on with promoting, managing and fundraising for your charity.