Frequently Asked Questions

No, We never have said we are a Charity. We are and always have been a small non-profit CAUSE.

There can be a vast amount of difference between running a small cause or a small charity. While both can be fundraising for worthy and meaningful goals it doesn't always stand up that to be fundraising means you must be a Charity.

Causes can function without registration into the Charity Commission if they have an annual turnover of less than £5k. In fact they are not legally allowed to "voluteer" to register at this point.

Charities on the other hand - which have a charitable structure MUST register. See this excerp from a notable source (NVCO)

Charities not required to register with the Charity Commission:

Charities that have an annual income of less than £5,000 are not required to register with the Charity Commission and cannot voluntarily do so unless they have the legal structure of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), meaning they're automatically registered. They must still follow charity law. The Charity Commission can investigate even though these organisations are not required to register. see more here

Absolutely. It goes against all the rules. We cannot stop others misnaming us a Charity but we can and ALWAYS do correct them in stating that we are a CAUSE with non-profit aims.

What charity status means

If your organisation has charity status, this means:

• a board of trustees controls it and the assets are held in trust by them. Assets are an item of property owned by an organisation, seen as having value and can be used to meet debts, commitments, or legacies.

• It will need to follow charity law as well as regulatory restrictions and requirements.

• It should be able to receive tax relief.

Taken at face value you could assume that by not being registered with CC, we would have no ability to accept donations - however as you can see here in this excerp from Charity Excellence - we are within our rights to continue accepting from our generous supporters who know exactly where the funds raised would be used.

See here or read below:
"People frequently run their own fundraisers for medical treatment or to meet other needs, which is OK, as long as you do not claim to be a charity and the funding raised is spent for the purpose for which you said you were raising it."

As we have explained across this page in various ways - that isn't an option for us. Besides which it would risk rather than aid us in many ways. We are a small organisation which runs entirely within our own reach. To build a charitable structure would mean opening up the cause to the public, allowing voted in members of a committee etc which is not suitable for our aims.

See here:

There are 6 steps to setting up a charity.

1. Find trustees for your charity - you usually need at least 3.

2. Make sure the charity has 'charitable purposes for the public benefit'.

3. Choose a name for your charity.

4. Choose a structure for your charity.

5. Create a 'governing document'.

In plain simple terms, If you don't trust something - don't go with it.
We are not going to force anyone to help us by gifting up items they don't want laying about their houses. If you would rather throw something into land fill, or better yet pass the items on to a local charity shop then that is entirely your prerogative but PLEASE do not attack us for your misunderstanding of our status.