First and foremost, I want to wish you a very Happy New Year and thank you for being a member of our new Charity Community – whether you have joined us recently or been a member of our previous charity-related communities.
Expert guidance
Our content is supported by two groups of ICAEW members and other sector representatives who are experts in charity accounting, tax and governance, and who are all actively engaged with the charity sector.
ICAEW’s Charity Committee is chaired by Daniel Chan, Director at PwC, and provides expert advice on technical matters, supports ICAEW’s consultation responses with sector-specific insights and contributes to the Charity Community’s content. Daniel Chan says:
“I’m really passionate about encouraging, enabling and empowering people to work and volunteer with charities. I’m excited for our new Charity Community, which provides an excellent platform to support you and your charities. I would recommend that you actively engage with our Community and make the most of what is on offer, particularly to navigate the key issues facing charities and the charity sector in the current environment and in the future.”
We also have a dedicated Advisory Group that supports the Charity Community and is chaired by chartered accountant Chris Owens, CFO at the Scottish charity Institute of Occupational Medicine. The Advisory Group provides invaluable sector insight, helps set objectives for the Community and contributes to the Community’s programme of resources, events, webinars and newsletter articles. Chris Owen says:
“The advisory group is passionate about the impact accountants can have in the charity sector. So, we are here to provide external insight on your needs and support the community with the resources you need to maximise your impact.”
What can you expect from us in 2023?
We will bring you regular updates on the latest developments in charity accounting, law, tax and governance and share news from the charity regulators. We’ll also support auditors and independent examiners with charity-specific perspectives on developments affecting your work. Free webinars, low-cost events and regular newsletters will keep you up to date and we’ll help ICAEW members with their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in charity-specific areas, both for trustees and charity finance professionals.
Charities provide vital support to communities and the financial difficulties they are currently facing are all too real. We are committed to help you navigate the compounding pressures of increasing costs and rising demand in your roles as charity finance leaders, advisers and trustees.
That’s why we will share practical, best practice examples of excellence in financial management and charity reporting, and we provide you with a trusted Community to exchange views.
Over the next year, we will continue to deliver a full programme – discussing the latest hot topics for charities of all sizes as well as responding to your requests such as:
- Updates on the development of the next Charities SORP and the development of international financial reporting guidance for non-profits (INPAG)
- Common challenges and failures in fund accounting
- Getting to grips with the Net Zero agenda
- Smart ways to forecast in uncertain times using scenario planning
- Communicating your charity’s impact and finances effectively in the annual report
- Making financial reports accessible using graphs and charts
- Responding to the specific needs of smaller charities
- Legal need-to-knows for charity trustees…and much more!
Your benefits:
- Join the Charity Community’s LinkedIn Group to network and exchange views with other group members
- Exclusive rates for our upcoming flagship event, the virtual Charity Conference on 19 and 20 January 2023
- Free access to our sector-specific interactive webinars. These are all recorded and available on demand if you can’t join us live. In 2022, topics included setting a reserves policy, the Charities Act 2022, ESG reporting, international financial reporting guidance, receipts & payments accounting.…you can catch up on these topics and much more by visiting our webinar library.
- Trustee Training: ICAEW's free online training provides a learning space where you can explore the knowledge and skills required to be an effective charity trustee through a range of reading materials, video recordings and reflective activities
- Looking for a voluntary role? Visit ICAEW Volunteers, our dedicated website that connects charities with finance professionals looking for volunteer roles. The service is free for all not-for-profit organisations and volunteers to use.
ICAEW members can also get help with their queries by contacting our technical advice line and through our Support Members Scheme.
I look forward to your engagement with our community and hopefully meeting many of you at our events.
Best wishes,
Kristina