Subject: Registering

Hi Roy,

do you mean registering as a charity? If so, the Charity Commission is the place to go.

Do let us know how you get on.

Hi there,

I am interested in this topic about registering - I am aware that you can register as a charity but can you register anywhere as a Non Profit Organisation? 

Is there a national register or something where this can be done? 

Am I also right in thinking that in order to register as a Charity you have to have Charity status as given by the Charity Commission?

Kind Regards

Lisa Sirah

www.theorphansofindia.com

Hi there,

I am part of a non-profit social enterprise run by University students. We are registered as a company limited by guarantee, and I would like to know if it is possible to register as a non-profit organisation. I understand that we can't register as a charity because we are already registered as a company, is this correct? Any information anyone has regarding the topic would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Amy Steelers

Hi  Amy  - SocialEnt

When I asked the charity commisson if I could set-up a company which was also charitable, they were not very helpfull.   I spoke with solicitors and they were not very helpfull.   I ended up as a  limited company with shares.   The organisation who set this up for me did not do me any favours.    I should have been set-up as a company limited by guarantee, which would have allowed me to apply to the charity commission for a charity no.

If you don't have £5,000 in your non-profit account you are not eligable for a charity no.  But it is okay to have part of the amount in your account and also have evidence by way of a letter offering a donation which would cover your short fall. Or a sponser offering the amount of you short fall. (check this with the charity commission incase rules have change recently)

If you can't raise £5,000 either in your account or partly  supported by a sponsor or other supporter,  you would come under a different controlling  body until you reached the target of £5,000, which the charity commission will or should explain to you.     Once you reach your financial target you would then be eligible to apply to the charity commission for a charity no. 

Below is an example from a piece I found on Ataxia UK.

Ataxia UK WORKS ACROSS THE WHOLE OF THE uk and is a charity registered in Scotland (no SC040607) and in England and Wales (no 1102391) and a company limited by guarantee (.4974832)

Ataxia UK is a company limited by guarantee - company no 4974832

Ataxia UK is also a registered charity               - charity no   SC040607

I hope this helps you to get through the red tape. I found out the hard way.

Best wishes

RaincloudDance