General Administration and Ongoing Compliance
Use this section for the routine legal formalities that every charity, whatever its structure, has to keep on top of once it is up and running. It is aimed at trustees and administrators of smaller charities who want a reliable checklist rather than a legal textbook.
What documents are in this section?
The Guidance Notes: Formalities Required On Business Documents Used By Charities explains what a charity must state on its letters, emails, website, invoices and other business documents. The requirements differ between registered charities, charitable companies and CIOs. Getting them wrong is a common and easily avoided failing.
The Small Charity: Checklist of Ongoing Compliance is a checklist of the recurring obligations a small charity needs to keep track of during the year, covering matters such as reporting to the Charity Commission, keeping records and reviewing policies.
The Checklist of Headline Points for Economic Crime Act for Charitable Companies Limited by Guarantee (CCLBGs) summarises the changes the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 makes to the obligations of a charitable company and its trustees, including identity verification. The detailed identity verification documents are in the Identity Verification for Charitable Company Trustees section.
Policies on financial controls, data protection and electronic marketing are in the Financial Controls, Data Protection and Electronic Marketing section.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Service and administrative messages are fine, but anything promoting the charity or seeking donations is direct marketing and, unless exempt in any case by virtue of the special charity "soft opt-in" exception, it generally needs prior explicit consent for email and text. Consent must be specific and recorded; a name on an old list is not consent. Every message needs a working opt-out. Where you collected an address during a donation you may have limited room to contact similar causes, but tread carefully. The electronic marketing guidance note maps the boundaries.
Everything it means for commercial companies applies to you: an appropriate registered office and registered email since March 2024, trustee identity verification because trustees are directors, the register of members as your only remaining local register and accounts reform from April 2028. Nothing in the Act exempts charities. The Economic Crime Act checklist for CCLBGs in this section is a headline summary trustees can review in one sitting.
When it is a serious incident: an actual or alleged event risking significant harm to people connected with the charity, significant loss of money or assets or significant damage to property or reputation. Trustees should report promptly and explain how they are handling it; safeguarding incidents may also need reporting to the police. Adopt thresholds and an escalation route in advance, deciding during a crisis goes badly. For policy templates, see the Complaints and Safeguarding section and the Financial Controls, Data Protection and Electronic Marketing section.