Message from Trevor Garrett, chief executive

Since the Charities Register opened in February 2007, we have noticed a steady increase in the number of charities – and other visitors – coming to our website to apply to register, file Annual Returns or notify changes to a charity, read our information sheets, or find out more about registered charities and key statistics for the sector itself.

It is encouraging to see that the website is increasingly becoming the “first port of call” for anyone wanting information about charities.
If you are one of the regular visitors to our website, you will have noticed that we have recently changed its “look and feel” – and that we have made some improvements so it is easier to find the information you need.
The new-look website still has all the information that our old site did – much of it has been updated – and we have added some new material too.
We have also added some new features, to make it easier for you to keep in touch with the Commission and keep up to date with the news.
For example, you can now sign up to receive (or unsubscribe from) our newsletter, and see a calendar of events in which the Commission is participating – both on our homepage.

It’s a good idea to check the website from time to time too, to keep up to date with important information for your charity and happenings in the charitable sector. (And of course, we also urge you to check your own charity’s page on the Register regularly, to be sure the information on it is up to date – many more members of the public are now routinely viewing charities’ information on the Register.)

We have also expanded the range of information available on the website. For example, we now include “signposts” to materials that you may find useful when setting up a charity, or to help strengthen your charity.
There’s much more, besides. Please do take the time to browse the website – I am sure you will find plenty of information that is both useful and informative. We will keep adding and updating information on the website, and are already planning to trial some new features, that (we hope) will enable you to more easily interact with us.
We’ve had some very encouraging and positive feedback about the new-look website already, and of course, we continue to appreciate your feedback and suggestions – about the website, or indeed, any other matter.

I warmly recommend that you take a little time to browse around the new website, and add it to your “favourites” so you can easily return to regularly.

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Thank you for coming to the Commission’s forums!

The Commission would like to extend a warm “thank you” to all those who accepted our invitations to the sector forums held across the country recently. The Commission hosted 14 forums, from Invercargill to Whangarei.  They were attended by more than 1,650 representatives of registered charities. We would also to thank the local charitable and volunteer organisations who helped us to organise and promote the forums in their area, and who gave us generous access to their networks and resources.

Building on feedback from earlier events, the forums kept any speechmaking to a minimum, and instead focussed on providing opportunities for charities to network, learn, and ask questions. At each forum, the Commission, Inland Revenue, and the Office of the Community and Voluntary Sector were on hand to make presentations and answer questions. 

They covered the use of the Charities Register, the Commission’s monitoring and investigations functions (and their role in maintaining public trust and confidence in the sector), the benefits of non-financial reporting, and payroll giving. You can see the presentations on the events page, and read our information sheet – Telling your story through non-financial reporting

A number of participants have taken the time to provide valuable feedback about how they found the forums, which will help the Commission with its planning for future events.  We will send a summary of the feedback to all respondents and will publish it on our website.

The information from the forum attendees will also be used to develop capability-building plans for charities in each of the regions. These plans will be developed by the appropriate regional agencies, with support from the Commission.

NOTE:  you might like to check the Events page from time to time to keep in touch with the Commission’s presentations and speaking engagements.

The next “major” event that the Commission will host is its Annual Meeting, scheduled for Tuesday 30 November, in Auckland.  We will publish more details closer to that date.

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You’ve been asking us….

While at the forums, the Commission kept a record of the questions that we were most frequently asked. Here are two of them, and our responses:

We are an incorporated society. Do we have to file a return with both the Commission and the Companies office?
No. You only need to send an Annual Return to the Charities Commission. A change to section 23 of the Incorporated Societies Act says that Incorporated Societies that are also registered with the Charities Commission don’t need to send an annual financial statement to the Companies Office. Our information sheet How the Charities Act affects charitable trusts, incorporated societies and companies has more information.

The Maori Land Court has to approve our new trustees. It can take years for that approval to come through. What do we do about advising the Commission about new trustees if the Maori Land Court hasn’t yet approved them?
The Charities Act says you must tell us about changes to your officers within three months of the change. In your case, even though approval from the Court is pending you must let us know about any new officers who have come on board (and any that are no longer officers). Our information sheet Officer certification has details about how to notify a change of officers.

Will Annual Return filing fees increase from $50 (online) or $75 (paper) when GST rises to 15% on 1 October?
Yes. (If a fee is payable) the GST portion of the fee will increase on Annual Returns filed after 1 October 2010. The Charities (Fees, forms and other matters) Regulations 2006 will require us to set the fees at $51.11 (online) and $76.67 (paper), including the new GST rate.
We will remind you about the change to the GST rate in the reminder email we send you before your Annual Return is due.
Note that if your charity (meets the criteria and) is registered for GST, you can claim a tax credit for the GST portion of the fee.
for GST, you can claim a tax credit for the GST portion of the fee.

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Improvements to Application for registration – Form 1

The Commission has reviewed and updated its Application for registration as a charitable entity – Form 1. In particular, we have removed two questions, making the form a bit shorter and easier to complete. We have also re-formatted some of the guidance notes, after we noticed that some applicants were writing their answers on the guidance notes themselves, instead of on the “official” part of the form.

Made any changes you need to tell us about?

If you make any changes to your charity’s name, address for service, balance date, rules, purposes, or officers (including new appointments), you must tell us within three months of the changes (or your becoming aware of them). You can use our Notification of change form – Form 3 to let us know (or log in to your account and complete the form online. (Or, you can report changes as part of your Annual Return, also within three months of the change or your becoming aware of it). Please make sure you complete all of the questions in the form, including your organisation’s name and unique registration number. You must also be sure to have the form signed and certified by the person completing it.

A gentle reminder – just drop off any cents!

We use the information from Annual Returns to derive data about the charitable sector. All the data in our Snapshot of the charitable sector, for example, comes from the Annual Returns filed by registered charities – and they are also available to the public – so it’s important that they’re accurate. When you complete your Annual Return, we would like you to write your figures in whole dollars by simply dropping off any cents. Don't write or type commas or dollar signs. (The new versions of our forms explain this.)
For example: If a value is $327,689.55, enter 327689 (You must include the 000s. Don’t show this figure as just “327”).

Some of you round large figures down, so they look like hundreds rather than hundreds of thousands or millions. For example, if you write “327” the public read that as three hundred and twenty seven dollars. They don't necessarily read it as three hundred and twenty seven thousand dollars.

If the value is less than $1000, simply enter the whole number (remembering to drop the cents).
For example: If your income is $834.45, enter 834.

Remember – your information is on the public Register and can be viewed by members of the public – and it can influence the accuracy of data about the overall sector.  

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New and updated information sheets

We have updated our information sheet Tax and donee status - how the Charities Act affects charitable tax status – you may find it worthwhile to refresh your understanding of your charity’s tax and donee status by reading this update. We have also published two new information sheets.
Understanding Charities Commission compliance actions explains the different compliance actions the Commission can take, and the possible results of those actions.
It explains what it means to be “no longer qualified” for registration, “significant or persistent failure” to comply with the Charities Act’s requirements, and the meaning of “engaged in serious wrongdoing”.
It also explains the various orders the Commission can make to prevent a deregistered charity from registering again for a set length of time, and to prevent an officer of a deregistered charity from being an officer of any registered charity for a set length of time.
(A ‘companion” information sheet you might like to read is What you can do if you disagree with our decisions.)
The second new information sheet is Telling your story through non-financial reporting.
Increasingly, the public want to know “what difference is your charity making?” This information sheet outlines some of the benefits and opportunities of answering that question by telling your charity’s story through non-financial reporting.

Handy tip – getting the most from searching the Charities Register

Did you know that one of the easiest ways to search for a charity (or list of charities) is simply to look for a word (or string of letters) that are likely to be in its name?
For example, if you want to look for charities that are likely to be involved in helping people with Alzheimers, try typing in “alzheim” into the Search field.

If you want to narrow the search to a particular area, you could add in a town/city or postcode, or use the drop-down “Area of operation” menu.
The search function is designed to look only for the exact word (or string of letters) you type in, so this technique is especially helpful if you are not sure of the exact legal name under which the charity is registered (or if they have – for example – spelled their name with or without an apostrophe).
The Register’s search function looks only at the full legal name under which the charity is registered, and searches only for exact matches to your search term.
It doesn’t currently search for abbreviations, acronyms, or names by which the charity might colloquially be known. (For example, to find the TEAR Fund on the Register, search for a string of letters or keyword from their full legal name, The Evangelical Alliance Relief Fund).

 

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Tech Soup and Water Safety New Zealand

Thanks to a software grant from Microsoft through TechSoup NZ, Water Safety New Zealand has been able to cut their costs and improve operational capability for their regional staff.

The software has helped to ensure that Water Safety New Zealand staff can perform basic computer functions such as word processing using relevant databases, while also improving remote access for staff outside their main Wellington office.

In New Zealand, TechSoup is partnered with the NZ Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations to provide donated software from companies such as Microsoft to eligible New Zealand charities, assisting them to build their IT capability.

If your charity is looking to upgrade your computer software and would like to get the latest products as donations, contact TechSoup.

Volunteer power

Watch out for a new show on TVNZ 6 called Volunteer Power hosted by Julia Wright and Jim Mora. The series will tell the stories of visionary and award-winning projects operating in kiwi communities for the proven benefit of kiwi communities - fuelled by the boundless energy of community volunteers.

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