Whether there’s a cause close to your heart or you’ve simply always wanted to start a charity of your own, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed by the process of launching a charity on your own. Starting a charity is a big deal as there’s a lot to consider and take into account; but with the right system in place and a clear understanding of what you need to do to achieve results, it could be the best step that you ever take. Wondering what it takes to start a charity and what you need to know about the process? Below is a guide to all of the ins and outs of launching a charity of your own - read on for everything that you need to know!
What should your first steps be?
Your starting point should be to reach out to your local authority to discuss the process of launching a charity in your area. You see, every country and region has a different approach to the rules regarding starting charities, so it’s important to be clued up about what the rules are in your local area. That’s why a good first step is to speak to your local authority about your concept, so that you can find out what steps you will need to take. You will also need to find charity trustees - a trustee is who is ultimately responsible for governing the charity and plays a big role in daily life, directing how the charity is managed and so on. You also need to consider whether you do actually have a charitable purpose that is beneficial to the public. A charitable purpose is what’s needed to launch a charity; this could be aiding poverty or saving lives, to support animal welfare work or helping the arts. There are a number of diverse purposes that qualify, it’s just important to ensure that the one you have in mind meets the criteria for your new venture to be classed as charitable.
What support do you need?
It’s also important to think about the support that you need when launching your charity. It’s not simply a case of deciding to launch it and then going ahead; there’s a lot that you need to think about and consider. For instance, when it comes to managing the money that goes into your charity, you might want to look into auditing services for charities and not for profit organisations that you can use to manage your charity’s funds effectively. This is important, as the last thing that you want is to fail to get the financial aspect of your charity right, as this can lead to all sorts of problems. There is lots of support available when starting a charity, so it’s important to take the time to look into what that support is and how you can utilise it.
There you have it, a simple guide to the steps that you need to take to start a charity.
