While our bread and butter is the day-to-day finance support we offer our clients, we have spent years honing our craft and are financial accounting experts across the charity/third sectors. We have become accustomed to providing the latest and most appropriate support for such entities, of which many accountancy firms might not be as equipped to do.

While each contract and package of support is individual to each client, we do offer a number of additional services that may be of interest. So if you are a CEO or CFO for a UK-based charity or third-sector entity, please read on as we explore legal structure updates, governance reviews, financial control audits, trustee and staff training, and merger appraisals.

Legal Structure Updates

Lots of charities have been looking to update their structure since CIOs (Charitable Incorporated Organisations) were formed. Whether you are a trust or a charitable company, we’ve supported countless charities in this process, including helping to register the new CIO and processing the relevant transfer of assets and staff, as well as registering the merger with the Charity Commission to ensure continuity for legacy income purposes.

These types of changes, on top of any trustee changes themselves, need to be done correctly, otherwise, you run the risk of leaving yourselves open to being invalid.

We can manage all of this for you, as it can be overwhelming, particularly if you’re juggling several plates as we appreciate many of you are within your roles.

Governance Reviews

Governance reviews are incredibly useful exercises, regardless of whether you’re an established charity or a brand-new not-for-profit entity. Think of it as a compliance health check for the charity; it’s time solely allocated by an expert to review everything from strategy and planning, board performance and functionality, trustee skills and diversity, to trustee responsibilities and compliance.

Following high-profile collapses and scandals over the past few years, many trustee boards are realising that they need as much support as possible. Whether as a result of an unfortunate incident or just as part of a health check, we will provide you with recommendations on how to improve as a board, which will aim to help you be in a healthier financial situation too.

Financial Controls Audit

We’ve carried out financial control audits for several clients, producing reports that mirror the Charity Commission’s guidance on internal controls, and ensuring boards have a list of recommendations for improving things moving forward.

We can review how efficient your financial controls are and ensure your charity is operating ethically, and that your financial reporting practices are credible and follow best practices.

Trustee and Staff Training Sessions

Some trustees are seasoned experts, but we appreciate that newer trustees and changes in legislation requirements regularly require organisations to provide training sessions to ensure everyone is accustomed to requirements and liabilities.

This training is also worthwhile being extended to members of staff for two reasons:

1. 1. For staff and trustees to meet properly if they haven’t already to build relationships.
2. 2. So that staff members can understand why any future decisions by the board of trustees are being made.

We can provide sessions (in person or virtually) that cover the legal and financial responsibilities of charity trustees, as well as provide our own experiences and recommendations for what makes excellent strategic and operational practices.

We have several ‘pre-packaged’ training sessions as well as offering entirely tailored training days, including charity finance for beginners, financial governance for trustees, financial due diligence for grant funders, and financial controls in an international context.

Merger Appraisals

As funding becomes sparser, many charities are looking at different options to move forward, including looking at possible close-down situations and mergers. We’ve supported several charities with merger conversations, ensuring that it’s not purely a financial decision but a strategic one that, above all, protects and supports your beneficiaries moving forward.

If you think now could be a good time for your charity’s review, or you have a question about any of the above, please get in touch with the Enaid team today for bespoke support https://www.enaidaccountancy.co.uk/contact/.