From the Charities Services Newsletter June 2024 Good governance and the Charities Act The Charities Act changed in 2023 and now there is a new requirement related to the governance of your charity. Charities will now need to review their governance every three years. When you come to file your Read more…
Updated 31 May 2024 Q: We are a church which is a Registered NZ Charity. Some members have suggested that we should, in addition to registration with DIA Charities Services, ‘Incorporate’ with the Companies Office (Registrar of Incorporated Societies). Is this step necessary or advisable? What are the pros and Read more…
A blog on the Forbes Nonprofit Council website caught our eye. The article starts: “Nonprofit organizations can sometimes face the risk of failure, and staff and executives must be aware of the telltale signs. When it becomes apparent that a nonprofit is headed toward trouble, effective leadership can be the Read more…
Updated: 11 May 2024 Q: What is the difference between a Charitable Trust and an Incorporated Society? Which is best for me? The differences are clearly explained on the Registrar of Incorporated Societies website and on this very helpful blog post on the DIA Charities website. The Community Net Aotearoa Read more…
(Note: In this article, the term “rules” is used in a general sense to refer to an organisation’s governing document – ie its rules, constitution, bylaws, trust deed etc and the term ‘charity/ies’ denotes any form of incorporated/registered non-profit)) Q: Can you give us guidance on winding up a charity Read more…
(Note: In this article, “rules” refers to an organisation’s governing document – ie its rules, constitution, bylaws, trust deed etc) We recently received an enquiry about whether a non-profit could temporarily place a clause in its rules in abeyance (ie operate outside of its rules). We are aware of some Read more…
The Helen Stewart Royle Charitable Trust grants up to $50,000 per award to charitable organisations that aid women and the elderly. Applications are now open to organisations that can directly apply funds to specific projects that provide humanitarian aid (assistance and relief) to women or older people. Applying organisations must Read more…
BoardWorks website recently published a review of ” A Board Member’s Handbook for Small (and Very Small) Nonprofits” by Erik Handberg The review starts: “Aotearoa New Zealand has around 28,000 charities and another 24,000 incorporated societies. Many fit into the small or very small category consistent with this book’s title. Read more…
Many NFPs use ZOOM for team meetings. A potentially major security flaw was recently notified on the website securityaffairs. While the article is quite technical, it appears that you may need to uninstall the current version and install the latest to get the most up to date version, although NFP Read more…
A blog post by Barry Baker, and Brent Kennerley of Grant Thornton asks: “Is your Not for Profit enterprise prepared for a cyberattack? If the answer is ‘no’, you’re not alone.” The article goes on to say: ” Our research report, Here for Good? uncovered some alarming statistics that highlighted cybersecurity Read more…
Q: I have heard that small charities can use a shorter reporting form to make their annual return to DIA Charities. Can you please confirm. A: Yes, that is basically correct, but subject to certain conditions. The External Reporting Board has introduced a “Simple Tier 4 Reporting Template” for “very Read more…
We recently came across an article in Finance Monthly, a UK publication. The article starts: Nonprofits tackle vital issues, lead the charge for change, and make a real difference in our communities. But let’s be real: even non-profits hit rough patches where money is tight, and pulling in donations feels Read more…