Welcome to our policy page.

One of the Aims of the Small Charities Coalition is to:

‘Provide a forum for small charities to get their voices heard within the media, the government,  regulators and those that can influence the issues that affect them’

We intend to facilitate this in the following ways:

• Seeking views of small charities about changes that will impact on them through surveys and polls – then relaying these views to those that can influence change.  
• By facilitating opportunities for small charities to meet, for example, MPs and senior civil servants or regulators face to face express their views.  
• Contribute to research that will enable a better understanding of small charities and the contribution they make to society

The principles that guide our work in this area:

• Selective:  we will prioritise the issues that have a direct impact on small charities and those where there is the potential to achieve practical benefits
• Reactive and proactive: we will not only respond to requests for input but we will also actively seek to set the agenda on issues of most importance
• Inclusive of our members: we will regularly seek input from members on general and specific issues
• Flexible and allow for emerging issues: we are mindful that the external environment in which we operate is constantly changing so we will try to respond to emerging issues of importance
• Collaborative: we will work with other organisations to share the work and maximise influence and impact as much as possible.
• Robust: we will endeavour to ensure that our work is evidence-based

Current work:

 

Nick Hurd (Minister for Civil Society) wants to hear your ideas on what red tape to cut!

An open invitation has been issued by Nick Hurd (Minister for Civil Society) through the Directory of Social change for us to share our concerns and thoughts on issues that affect us, in particular what cuts we would want made to bureaucracy
 
‘We are determined to clear the thicket of bureaucracy but we need your help in identifying where to apply the machete.’

The full article can be found here: http://www.dsc.org.uk/NewsandInformation/News/WordfromHurdColumnAugust2010?dm_i=6S7,745P,N8LPE,HP15,1

If you would like us to represent your views and ideas to Nick Hurd please email cath.lee@smallcharities.org.uk. If you would like to contact the Minister yourselves, please email your ideas to psnickhurd@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk.

Gift Aid Reform – have your say about the options for change

We are a member of HM Treasury’s Gift Aid Forum (GAF) and have been trying to ensure that options for reform of Gift Aid take into account the needs of small charities. 

The Government want a cost-neutral approach.   In practice this means that any modifications or simplifications they accept will simply re-distribute the current relief.

You can find out more about the options and issues related to Gift Aid reform that have been debated to date by downloading these papers:

A summary of options prepared by the Institute of  Fundraising. Read it here.

Results from the survey about simplification prepared by CFDG (Charity Finance Directors Group).  Read it here.  Thanks to those who responded.

A draft proposal which we would particularly like views on – ‘Gift Aid Lite’. Read it here.

We support this proposal as it would significantly simplify the process for smaller charities and, for some, make it worthwhile to claim. 

The basic idea is that charities would make one claim against the total eligible voluntary income raised in the year.   Nick Hurd’s response to the idea has been positive but there is one key difficulty with the proposal which I hope some of you may have some ideas about how it can be overcome.  Gift Aid is a tax relief which means a donor needs to have paid enough tax to cover it.  With the current Gift Aid Lite proposal it would not be possible to identify direct links with donor’s tax paid.  This would mean that support for charities through Gift Aid Lite would be considered spending and so vulnerable to being cut.  So we need to identify how Gift Aid Lite can link to a donor’s tax paid.

In summary, we would very much like to receive views and comments from you on:

The various options for reform.  HM Treasury have given  guidance for the sector to focus particularly on
a)  Simplifications to Gift Aid
b) Composite rate Gift Aid
c) Split-Rate Composite Gift Aid.

Gift Aid Lite – would you use this if it was available? Do you have any ideas on how to demonstrate links with donor’s tax paid.

We will feed in all comments to a broader ‘options paper’ that is being prepared by an independent member of the Gift Aid Forum.  This paper will be discussed at the next Gift Aid Forum meeting on the 9th September at HM Treasury. 

Please email cath.lee@smallcharities.org.uk with comments on the proposals

The next HM Treasury Gift Aid Forum is due to be held on 9th September 2010.  Please submit your views by 31st August.