Subject: Priority - a bank account

Here is my guess.

Find an unused bank account or open a new one. If you are rather grand about this, you might manage an account in a name that is not your own or take-over an abandoned business account that the deceased's executor might be about to close.

Prepare to publish screen shots or scans of paper statements on a free web page to say thank you to doners. If you would like doners to suggest causes, the site is also a good place for this. A free .co.cc domain name is neater than something like .moonfuit.com if you are technically-minded about web sites.

Mention the BACS details in letters and emails to mourners. It is also possible to set-up a paypal donations form and I people on this site will know of specialised donation services.

If you pay individual tax (rather than PAYE) imagine that at any time a tax inspector could ask why you are not declaring this money, and keep it separate so that your answers would be simple and convincing. Doners might think similar questions about where the money goes, although be too polite to ask, so transparency is good.

If you get more than about £50, invest the money in one of the P2P lending sites on http://p2pmoney.co.uk . The main ones are Zopa, Funding Circle and Ratesetter. They do not deduct tax automatically and pay more than the rate of inflation for savings.

None of these sites will allow two accounts in one name and all the main three are picky about identification, so either

- use your name and choose between the three, but don't try to lend your own money on whichever you use as trustee

or

- if you have grandly opened an account in a name like "X memorial trust" then Ratesetter will consider an unregistered charity identified only by a bank account. For amounts over £1,000, Thincats is less picky but takes a little time to manage for someone who takes to that sort of work.

Now you have a bank account, a web page, and if £100 comes in you will be able to get a small income. I suggest doing nothing for a year or two, and then donating slightly less than the profit after inflation to local causes each year after taht.

PS I'm also looking for a bank account - the simplest to set-up banking service for a

• single trustee, preferably online with
• no questions about the structure of the charity, no overdrafts, no direct debits,
• no charges for BACS payments or
  
• long term minimum balance.
  

Airdre Savings Bank temps by allowing two other internet log-on accounts to people who are not allowed to spend any money, so there is a lot of transparency, but there is a £50 minimum balance.