Cait Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 So you won't be a registered charity any more? Will that affect any grants or whatever you may try to apply for? (I think I need your chap to visit me! haha) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsbat Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 So you won't be a registered charity any more? Will that affect any grants or whatever you may try to apply for? (I think I need your chap to visit me! haha) We aren't a registered charity now that's how this whole situation arrived really, due to one of the sections in the RAG - we couldn't complete the legal bit of it as we aren't a charity/business etc etc and basically no one knew what we were lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 How interesting Mrsbat, please keep us all informed of your progress and I wish you the very best of luck with it. I think nowadays a lot of us have difficulties in recruiting committee and if you had a good focased and motivated team of staff this really must be the answer. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosaboo Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Sorry if I have done this wrong but this is my first post! My setting is a social enterprise and set up as a company limited by guarantee (we set up in September), we are in receipt of EY funding and have successfully bid for several grants including money from the lottery. The model is simpler than a charity as you do not need a committee, but does allow you to bid for grants. It also allows you to adapt policies, budgets quicker than committee based settings as decisions are made by those who are set up as directors. Happy to share finer details if you need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Sorry if I have done this wrong but this is my first post! Happy to share finer details if you need it. Doesn't look wrong to me! Congratulations on your first post. This sounds like what I'm looking for, yes please - more details!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosaboo Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 (edited) We used information from the http://www.resourcecentre.org.uk as a starting point, gives lots of very useful information about starting a group. We also received free local training from resource centre for fundraising and some advice on finance.Our setting is pack away setting in a community centre.If you do want to apply for Grants it is best to have at least 3 directors who are not related to show good governance. Funders do recognise this type social enterprise as since May last year we have been lucky enough to raise just over £12000 in various grants.To set up the company we used a company called The Formation company which cost us about £15.00 but you may want to use a solicitor if you are already running.With this structure we have to provide an annual return to companies house.We found that we have been able to run much more efficiently than a committee run setting, staff are clear who there employer is and we do not have the hassle of trying to get a minimum amount of committee members to turn up to make key decisions ( or recruiting a new committee members every year).let me know if you have any further questions. Edited June 20, 2013 by Sue 20/6/13 Link reformed at the request of the company Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Thanks Rosaboo - lots to 'get my head round' there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Hi Rosaboo I'm very interested in this. Did you go from being a charity run setting to a social enterprise? Or were you one from the start? Are the directors technically the employers and are they paid or volunteers? If volunteers, how does this differ from a committee? Do you have to have a constitution? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Hi Rosaboo, I too would be very interested in how this would work - I am at my wits end at the moment!! Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosaboo Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 We started from scratch, directors can be salaried so I and another Director both work at the pre school and are salaried. We as directors are responsible for the business but our liability is £1 if company is wound up as long as we have acted responsibly, we have articles which are very general and we set the pre school policies. We are employers of our staff. We went for this type of set up as I was once a parent committee member at my daughter's pre school and I felt that parents tend to like to have an active role in the nursery by helping children at pre school but not many jump at the chance to take on administration and financial liability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rainyjaney Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 No we won't need to be registered with the charity commission or anything like that - to be honest I really need to sit down with the guy again and discuss it all further as we sort of came to a stand still until I had heard about the funding If not registered with Charities Commission then do you have to register with Companies House? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosaboo Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Yes you do need to register with companies house, this was done for us by the formation company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 How did you get in touch with your formation company - and how much will it all cost - (roughly) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosaboo Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 We used an online formation company www.theformationscompany.com, took basic package, cost us £15 pounds and took about 3 hours to form our company and receive pdf comapny documents. As I said there are quite a few formation companies if you search google . However if you are nervous about doing it yourself any solicitor can form a company for you it will just cost a lot more than £15! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 As a word of caution.. things to think about.... The major downside to this is if you are already a charity run setting with a committee you have to dissolve the setting and all the assets have to be disposed of as in the constitution... thereby causing you to either to buy up the assets as set by an independent valuer or start from scratch... this is what stopped us from changing our way of running.. being unable to afford to buy the equipment... and if in a church hall and changing also check they will not hike up the rent - ours gave us a subsidised rent as we were a charity.. it was more than double for non charitable groups to hire.. second reason we gave up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosaboo Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I agree it was simple for us because we where starting a group and I am sure its trickier and is very complicated if you already run as a charity with a committee. We were lucky we rent a community centre hall from the council took into account that we were a non profit organisation and therefore were offered subsidised rent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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