Which topics are covered in this group of document templates?
A wide variety of areas are covered by the documents in this group, ranging from expense reimbursement policies and claim forms, to standard and other forms to be completed and submitted to Companies House, to public health emergency charity employee return to work forms, to electronic marketing and data protection, as well as other ongoing compliance guidance.
Are some of these documents needed for legal compliance?
The Companies House forms and other documents must be submitted to Companies House to meet company law requirements where the charity is set up in the form of a charitable company limited by guarantee. These forms relate to a number of routine events, e.g. resignation of a company secretary.
In addition to policies and forms for use when claiming back expenses, there are also some guidance notes and other documents relating to a number of topics, e.g. required contents to be included on business documents of a charity; ongoing compliance issues, e.g. GDPR compliant Privacy Notice; forms for public health emergencies (e.g. pandemics); electronic marketing.
How can these assist charity trustees to run their charity?
All of the documents in this group can assist trustees to save time and trouble when administering their charity. Some of them are legally required documents or can help to fulfil compliance obligations.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What routine admin does a charity have to keep on top of, beyond running its activities? +
Four recurring strands: regulator filings (annual return and accounts to the Charity Commission, plus Companies House filings if you are a charitable company), accurate records of trustees and decisions, data protection basics such as a privacy notice, and clean money handling including expenses claims. None of it is glamorous and all of it is examined when something goes wrong. This group collects the working documents: forms, checklists, policies and guidance notes.
Does our charity have to say it is a registered charity on letters and invoices? +
Yes, once your gross income in the last financial year exceeded 10,000 pounds. The fact that the charity is registered must then appear legibly on fundraising notices and advertisements, cheques and orders for money, invoices, receipts, bills and letters of credit. The wording can be as simple as registered charity number followed by your number. A charitable company has additional company law disclosures on top. The formalities guidance note here covers both layers.
Can our charity send marketing emails to supporters asking for donations? +
Only within the electronic marketing rules: direct marketing by email or text generally needs the person's consent, and fundraising appeals count as direct marketing for these purposes. Relying on old mailing lists without consent records is the classic breach. Keep evidence of consent, offer an opt-out in every message and check your privacy notice covers marketing. The Charity Electronic Marketing guidance note here explains the rules in charity terms.
We are a charitable company. Which Companies House paperwork applies to us that other charities avoid? +
The full company layer: confirmation statements, accounts filings, notifying trustee and secretary changes within 14 days, registered office and email duties and the identity verification rules for trustees as directors. CIOs and unincorporated charities answer to the Charity Commission alone. This group's CCLBG sub-folders provide the completed-example Companies House forms and guidance, including an Economic Crime Act checklist summarising what changed for charitable companies.
Do we need a privacy notice for our small charity? +
Yes. UK GDPR requires anyone processing personal data, and every charity holds supporter, beneficiary or volunteer data, to tell people what is collected, why, on what lawful basis, who it is shared with and their rights. A privacy notice is how you meet that duty. Publish it on your website and reference it at data collection points. The GDPR compliant charity privacy notice template here is written for exactly this scale of organisation.
