There are still a few places left on our charity abseil on Sunday, 17th August.
Event has just been publicised in The Herald:
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/New-charity-needs-volunteer-abseilers/article-195903-detail/article.html
Quoting from The Herald:
"A NEW Plymouth charity is searching for adventurous types to take part in an abseil to raise money for children with complex needs living in the city. The charity 'PL-ease' is holding the abseil on Sunday, August 17, at the Rock Centre in Chudleigh. Both new and experienced abseilers are welcome, and full training and equipment will be provided on the day of the event.
All funds will go to PL-ease, which is a brand- new charity in Plymouth aiming to raise funds to provide specialist support and equipment for children with complex needs in PL- postcoded areas.
Those who plan to take part in the abseil event are being asked to raise a minimum of £50 in sponsorship for the charity"
We hope to raise over £1000 from this event and set us on our way to making significant differences to the lives of children with complex needs.
E-mail us at admin@pl-ease.org.uk for more details
Tuesday 24 June 2008
Wednesday 18 June 2008
Doh!
I received a letter from HMRC on Friday in response to my request in April for a Gift Aid reference number.
The letter stated that they were unsure as to whether "PL-ease" was capable of being a charity in law. Alarm bells ringing..... They stated that it is not a charitable purpose "to raise funds".
Hmmmm.. My initial thoughts were that this is what all charities do. If they don't raise funds, they can't be able to support the cause they were set up to help. The letter ended quite hopefully, stating that if I could provide additional information as to what we had done so far in terms of fundraising, and if we could define what was meant by "complex needs" then they would be able to suggest suitable wording for the objects of the charity.
I have read through our Trust deed and can see where the problem lies. At our first committee meeting we agreed that the aim of the charity was "To raise funds to allow for the provision of....". The aim had been cut and pasted into our Trust Deed (by me) and the section headed "Application of income" now stated that the trustees must apply income of the charity in furthering the following objects: To raise funds to allow for the provision of specialist equipment etc..."
What a difference two words can make. This makes it look as though the charity is using its income to raise funds.??!!!
I have replied to HMRC and asked if they would consider the purpose as being charitable if we remove the two words "raise funds" from the objects at our next committee meeting. If not, then I will seek guidance from them as to appropriate wording to use.
It's good that this issue has been spotted as it allows us to correct the deed fairly early on. Just a bit unfortunate that, despite many hours of checking, I didn't notice the error before getting the deed signed up. Lesson learned!
The letter stated that they were unsure as to whether "PL-ease" was capable of being a charity in law. Alarm bells ringing..... They stated that it is not a charitable purpose "to raise funds".
Hmmmm.. My initial thoughts were that this is what all charities do. If they don't raise funds, they can't be able to support the cause they were set up to help. The letter ended quite hopefully, stating that if I could provide additional information as to what we had done so far in terms of fundraising, and if we could define what was meant by "complex needs" then they would be able to suggest suitable wording for the objects of the charity.
I have read through our Trust deed and can see where the problem lies. At our first committee meeting we agreed that the aim of the charity was "To raise funds to allow for the provision of....". The aim had been cut and pasted into our Trust Deed (by me) and the section headed "Application of income" now stated that the trustees must apply income of the charity in furthering the following objects: To raise funds to allow for the provision of specialist equipment etc..."
What a difference two words can make. This makes it look as though the charity is using its income to raise funds.??!!!
I have replied to HMRC and asked if they would consider the purpose as being charitable if we remove the two words "raise funds" from the objects at our next committee meeting. If not, then I will seek guidance from them as to appropriate wording to use.
It's good that this issue has been spotted as it allows us to correct the deed fairly early on. Just a bit unfortunate that, despite many hours of checking, I didn't notice the error before getting the deed signed up. Lesson learned!
Friday 6 June 2008
Bucket at the ready
A Lottery licence and a planned bucket collection. Does life get any better? Should I start getting out more? Don't answer that.
For a charity looking to make it's first penny, this is excellent news. Sainsbury's in Armada Way, Plymouth have agreed to let us do a bucket collection on 30th August.
Having done this before, it is a fairly painless way of generating income. When we did this for "Give A Child A Chance" a couple of years ago I was amazed at the response from the public. Not wishing to be ageist, but I had a preconceived idea of who would put money in the bucket. I was completely wrong. All ages came along to put whatever they could afford into our buckets. Even the ones I doubted - the ones who had no change, but said they would come back later - did.
It is a great way to raise money, and also helps to spread the word about the charity. All part of building up the image and profile.
It also makes you think twice about walking past a collector. If someone is willing to give up some of their time to hold (not shake!) a bucket, then it is worth taking a look to see what they are raising money for, and dropping something in their bucket. Even a couple of pence - it all counts - and makes the collector feel better if they've had a quiet spell!
Thanks Sainsbury's.
For a charity looking to make it's first penny, this is excellent news. Sainsbury's in Armada Way, Plymouth have agreed to let us do a bucket collection on 30th August.
Having done this before, it is a fairly painless way of generating income. When we did this for "Give A Child A Chance" a couple of years ago I was amazed at the response from the public. Not wishing to be ageist, but I had a preconceived idea of who would put money in the bucket. I was completely wrong. All ages came along to put whatever they could afford into our buckets. Even the ones I doubted - the ones who had no change, but said they would come back later - did.
It is a great way to raise money, and also helps to spread the word about the charity. All part of building up the image and profile.
It also makes you think twice about walking past a collector. If someone is willing to give up some of their time to hold (not shake!) a bucket, then it is worth taking a look to see what they are raising money for, and dropping something in their bucket. Even a couple of pence - it all counts - and makes the collector feel better if they've had a quiet spell!
Thanks Sainsbury's.
Tuesday 3 June 2008
Licence!!
Yes. The Small Societies Lotteries Licence from Plymouth City Council was received today. We had to resubmit the initial application as the form off the Council website was out-of-date. Never mind...we now have a licence. Thanks to the Council staff for turning this around in quick time.
Watch out shops, theme parks, etc. Letters requesting prizes for a raffle will be in the post soon.
Tickets...Should these be 20p a go and a book for £1? Or, are you fed up writing your contact details on five tickets when one ticket at £1 would give you the same chance of winning? Any ideas....
Watch out shops, theme parks, etc. Letters requesting prizes for a raffle will be in the post soon.
Tickets...Should these be 20p a go and a book for £1? Or, are you fed up writing your contact details on five tickets when one ticket at £1 would give you the same chance of winning? Any ideas....
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