Thinking of starting a charity in England, Wales or Scotland?

Hundreds of new charities start up every year in the UK. Small ideas growing into big changes for local and national communities.

You can obtain free online advice on starting a charity from the Charity Commission of England & Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. You can also get advice in person by visiting your local Voluntary Action Council. You can find more information about that through NCVO England/WCVA Wales/SCVO Scotland or NICVA Northern Ireland.

These packages are designed for people who would like an experienced hand to guide them through each of the steps involved, getting their organisation off to the best possible start. To discuss which package is right for your organisation, please get in contact /  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

There are three packages available:

 

COMMUNITY GROUP 

A Community Group or Unincorporated Voluntary Organisation (UVO) is the most basic form of nonprofit structure. It can exist for nonprofit (community and voluntary) groups in England & Wales below an annual income of £5,000. This does not apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland where nonprofit organisations must register with the Charity Commission as soon as possible. The package includes:

Unincorporated means that the organisation exists as a group of individuals, rather than having a legal identity in its own right. Each individual member of the organisation is financially responsible for the organisation in the event of difficulty or legal action.

100% of the fee for this package is payable on commencement, and the package is completed within 30 working days.

 

 

There are currently two ways to incorporate a charity in the UK: as a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee or as a Charitable Incorporates Organisation (CIO). Both routes have pluses and minuses, which are discussed in depth during the initial stages of the package. This package includes:

70% (£336) deposit is required on commencement, with the remaining 30% payable on submission of charity application, or within three months of deposit date, whichever comes sooner. Submission cannot be guaranteed to result in charity registration, but assistance in making reasonable amendments to meet charity registration standards are included in the service. The service will continue to completion even if final payment is made beforehand. There is a £40 administrative charge payable to Companies House for Charitable Company registration. This amount will be deducted from the package fee and not added to it. 

 

 

If you are a Non-government Organisation (NGO) looking to establish a charitable presence in the UK for administrative or fundraising purposes, this package is designed to assist.