bassac ~ supporting people sustaining communitiesSmall charities model constitution
Contents
Small charities constitution forms - download them from here
Who is it for?
Setting up a charity - the constitution
How can we get help and advice?
How do we complete our constitution?
What happens if we grow?
List of organisations involved in producing and promoting this constitution
Who is it for?
This constitution is specifically designed for charities which expect to stay small, and have an annual income under £5,000. It is not meant for charities that own a building, employ people or intend to register with the Charity Commission.
Small groups which are not charities are also welcome to use this model constitution, though they would not be covered by charity law.
Many national charities produce their own model constitutions, including Parent Teacher Associations, the PreSchool Learning Alliance, Women’s Institutes, Scouts and Guides. See Approved Governing Documents.
If you are setting up one of these charities, please contact them for advice and use their model rather than this one.
Setting up a charity - the constitution
If you want to start up a small charity, you will need a set of rules which explain what the charity does and how it is to be run. To help you, the Charity Commission has worked with nine umbrella organisations listed at the end of the introduction, to write and promote a constitution for a small charity. This is of course not the only constitution that would be appropriate, and there are other model constitutions that both the Commission and other organisations produce.
We have pooled our experience to ensure that it is easy to understand, is short (it’s only 700 words long) and meets the needs of small charities. The aim is to encourage people to get involved in running the charity and give them confidence by knowing exactly what their constitution says should be done to run it properly.
The people on the committee will be the trustees of the charity. They will be responsible for the money that other people have given and must ensure it is properly spent and correctly accounted for. See The Essential Trustee: what you need to know (CC3).
How can we get help and advice?
It is always a good idea to get advice and support – and luckily there is plenty available. Talk to the local community development organisations in your area and ask for their help. Your local authority’s website would also be a good place for information and support.
Each of the organisations involved with producing this constitution has a website that contains a wealth of publications and information. All of these organisation share a commitment to help small charities run properly, ensure they comply with the law, are open to people from every walk of life and flourish in every community.
How do we complete our constitution?
You need to discuss the rules and check that everybody understands and agrees with them. You must write in the ‘Purposes’ to describe what the charity has been set up for. You might also need to say which geographical area the charity will work in.
This constitution is suitable for a small charity, but it is important to recognise that just adopting it does not necessarily make the group a charity. To be a charity, all the purposes must be charitable and the organisation must be established for the public benefit. To help you with this, model wording for charitable purposes is provided by the Charity Commission.
To adopt the constitution, the people who are setting up the charity need to sign and date it. By doing this they become the trustees of the charity until the first annual general meeting.
What happens if we grow?
Charities with less than £5,000 a year do not need to register with the Charity Commission. However, if your income grows larger than this, the charity must register and you should read this guidance.
If you find your organisation is getting larger, wants to employ people or buy a building, or in the future wishes to register with the Commission, you will need to replace this constitution with a more comprehensive model governing document as this one will no longer be appropriate.
Small charities constitution forms
Download a form, either in English or Welsh, to get started in setting up a small charity.
Organisations involved in this constitution
bassac joined the Charity Commission and the organisations listed below to produce this constitution:
ACRE: Supporting vibrant and sustainable rural communities through the Rural Community Action Network.
http://www.acre.org.uk/
Charity Commission: The Charity Commission for England and Wales is established by law as the regulator and registrar of charities in England and Wales. Our aim is to provide the best possible regulation of these charities in order to increase charities’ efficiency and effectiveness and public confidence and trust in them.
http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/
Community Matters: Community Matters is the nationwide federation for community associations and multi-purpose community organisations. We play a key role in promoting and supporting action by ordinary people in response to social, educational and recreational needs in their neighbourhoods and communities.
http://www.communitymatters.org.uk/
Charity Trustee Networks: CTN is the national charity for trustees of charities and voluntary organisations. It aims to increase trustees’ access to information, guidance and support through networks, our website, signposting and services, as well as promoting trusteeship.
To join CTN’s national network of trustees or trusteenetplus, simply register on CTN’s website at http://www.trusteenet.org.uk/
Directory of Social Change: DSC is an independent charity with a vision of an independent voluntary sector at the heart of social change.
We achieve this by providing essential information and training to the voluntary sector to enable charities to achieve their mission. Since we started in 1974, we have been running courses and publishing charity and voluntary sector books on fundraising, management, organisational and personal development, communication, finance and law.
If you are interested in our training courses and publications, please contact us for our free guides. visit our website at http://www.dsc.org.uk/
NAVCA: National Association of Voluntary and Community Action is the national voice of local third sector infrastructure organisations in England. These are organisations that help and provide services for small charities and community groups.
More information about the help that NAVCA members can provide is at: www.navca.org.uk/smallcharities
NCVO: The National Council for Voluntary Organisations is the largest umbrella body for the voluntary and community sector in England with over 7,400 members. We provide a wide range of information and support services, and represent the sector to government and policymakers.
Small Charities Coalition: The Small Charities Coalition exists to help small charities access the skills, experience and resources they need to achieve their aims.
http://www.smallcharities.org.uk/
WCVA: Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) represents the interests of voluntary organisations, community groups and volunteers in Wales. It has 2,100 organisations in direct membership and is in contact with many more through national and regional networks.