Finance data architecture: the hidden secret to success
5 March 2024
After spending a significant period of time working with various charities, we have found the hidden secret behind successful charity finance teams: finance data architecture. Iain Goldmann, partner at Cloud ...
CFG Briefing: Autumn Statement 2023
22 November 2023
What does the Chancellor's Autumn Statement mean for you and your organisation? Richard Sagar, Head of Policy, CFG, takes an in-depth look.
"I do feel their pain!"
12 October 2023
Recent research by CFG shows that charity audits are becoming ever more costly and complex. At the same time, auditing is fast-evolving and needs to attract more talent. What, if ...
Property development for charities
7 September 2023
Following on from CFG's popular VAT and Tax Conference in July, Socrates Socratous from Buzzacott outlines the VAT implications for different types of property use and development.
Talking about... Charity reserves
11 July 2023
We're talking about... What are reserves? Does your charity need them and if so, how should they be managed? Three charity CEOs - Sarah Vibert, Jane Ide and Caron Bradshaw, ...
Part 2: Fraud - prevention is better than cure
5 June 2023
In our second and final part of Pesh Framjee's article on fraud prevention, Pesh explores lines of defence and appropriate controls, and shares a number of helpful fraud case studies.
Part 1: Fraud - prevention is better than cure
5 June 2023
CFG's Special Advisor Pesh Framjee provides practical advice on the issue of fraud. This two part series takes an in-depth look at what fraud is and isn't, the 'recipe for ...
Environmental reporting for charities
31 May 2023
What are charities required to report and where is environmental reporting likely to go from here? Simon Hughes from Crowe UK takes a look at current reporting requirements and what ...
Webinar: Getting in shape for 2023
6 March 2023
CFG partners Russell-Cooke share their recent webinar on legal and regulatory changes in the charity sector, from property to employment law through to the Charities Act 2022 and more.
Effective and modern reserves management
23 February 2023
How are Scottish charities managing reserves? And what are the lessons for other UK charities? We take a deep-dive into this hot topic, with learnings from a recent Scottish Grantmakers ...
Crowe and CFG annual round-up 2023
27 January 2023
On 12 January 2023, Crowe UK and Charity Finance Group ran an annual round-up event, highlighting key legal and regulatory changes and updates. This ever-popular event covered a wide range ...
Charity Law Reform in Scotland: part 1
17 January 2023
The Charities (Regulation and Administration) (Scotland) Bill could make significant changes to charity law in Scotland. In part 1, the team at Brodies LLP sets out the background to the ...
Fifty years of VAT
9 January 2023
As the fiftieth anniversary of VAT draws near, Simon Buchan from BHP takes a look at the latest HMRC approach to determining what is a business activity - an approach ...
Preparing for a merged property portfolio
21 December 2022
If your charity is planning a merger, you may need to bring together and manage different property portfolios. Isabella Hendrie from Gerald Eve shares advice on where to start and ...
Caron's comment: thinking about reserves
9 December 2022
What are reserves for and not for? How much is too much and too little? And do charities need to better communicate their reserves policies? CFG's CEO, Caron Bradshaw OBE, ...
Factsheet: Cash held as investment
23 November 2022
Is your charity holding cash back as an investment? If so, are you following recommended practice in your reporting? CFG's special advisor Pesh Framjee shares the guidance.
VAT and Covid-19 testing services
4 November 2022
If your charity received or supplied Covid-19 testing services, you could have overpaid VAT. Robert Marchant and Kieran Smith from Crowe UK explain.
Cash Held as Investment
5 May 2022
Factsheet on what can and should be shown as cash on the balance sheet and what can and should be shown as an investment.
Finance Focus July 2021
29 July 2021
Inclusivity - why does it matter to finance professionals? We speak to charity leaders this month about equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI). We also meet a small member charity - Jodie ...
Annual Conference 2021: Meet our Sponsors
22 July 2021
CFG is delighted to announce four sponsors for this year's CFG Annual Conference - Leading the Way: Effective, Inclusive, Resilient. We welcome HSBC Private Banking as the event's headline sponsor, ...
Finance Focus June 2021
30 June 2021
'Leading the Way: Effective, Inclusive and Resilient' is the theme of this year's CFG Annual Conference. Dive inside to find out all about it - who's speaking, who's sponsoring, and ...
Finance Focus May 2021
28 May 2021
Responsible investment is the focus of this month's edition. Our corporate partners share their advice and insights on how to invest responsibly and ethically. We also hear from Rachel Hewitt ...
Rainy days and reserves
11 May 2021
Caron Bradshaw OBE shares her thoughts on the issues around charity reserves in light of the Covid pandemic and recent investigations by the Charity Commission.
Finance Focus April 2021
30 April 2021
Welcome to the April 2021 edition of Finance Focus. This month we take a look at mental health and wellbeing in the run up to Mental Health Awareness Week in ...
Finance Focus January 2021
29 January 2021
Welcome to the latest edition of Finance Focus! In this issue, we take a look at the subject of Risk and new ways to recognise and manage it. Plus, we ...
How to share your story through your annual report
26 January 2021
Find out how complying with the fundraising reporting requirements in Section 13 of the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016 can be a great way of telling your fundraising ...
Finance Focus November/December 2020
4 December 2020
Welcome to the latest edition of Finance Focus! In this issue, we ask charities and CFG's trustees about what they've learned in 2020 and what lays ahead. Topics also covered ...
Finance Focus October 2020
23 October 2020
Welcome to the October 2020 edition of Finance Focus. Issues covered inside: Mental health; fraud; audits; training; Brexit and much more!
Welcome to IFR4NPO
7 October 2020
WATCH: Our welcome to the International Financial Reporting for Non Profit Organisations (IFR4NPO). This video introduces this new initiative which aims to develop internationally applicable financial reporting guidance for non-profit ...
What’s new for audit and accountancy?
8 January 2020
Ahead of her session at the CFG Midlands Conference 2020, Partner at Sayer Vincent, Fleur Holden, provides an update into what’s new in the world of charity audit and accounting.
Are charity reserves policies really clear enough?
13 November 2019
By David Ainsworth, Sector Specialist, Charity Finance Group Last week, The Times newspaper launched an attack on military charities for holding too much money in reserve. It claimed that the ...
Banking for Charities
1 April 2016
'Banking for Charities' is a short guide, produced in collaboration with the British Bankers' Association, aimed at those who manage the financial affairs of a charity or voluntary organisation. The ...
Beyond Reserves
6 June 2012
Beyond Reserves has been produced by CFG, ACEVO, the Institute of Fundraising and Sayer Vincent, and looks at the strategic management of charity reserves. The publication includes insights and case ...
World Vision UK - Open Information Policy
28 July 2011
This policy ensures that all stakeholders and interested parties can request information from World Vision UK and will receive a response within 40 days.
Treasury Policy
31 May 2011
Institute of Development Studies' Treasury Policy.
Banking Tender
25 May 2011
It is a surprisingly common fact but many charities do not have a regular process for reviewing their banking arrangements. Those organisations that do have such a policy will often ...
Finance handbook extract - expenses
18 December 2009
Describes the policy and procedure for charities when handling expenses. Also outlines practical and procedural steps in implementing effective expenses systems.
Authority Limits
2 October 2009
This policy names the Directors and Managers who have the authority to purchase goods and services and/or to make payments on the charity’s behalf.
Charities and Insolvency
4 December 2008
Written for CFG members by Pesh Framjee, Head of the Not for Profit team at Horwath Clark Whitehill LLP and CFG Special Adviser, this is a detailed guide to Charities ...
The Charity Treasurers Forum
7 February 2006
The Voluntary Sector has a number of bodies that bring key people together. They roll off the tongue CFDG, NCVO, ACVO Institute of Fundraising etc.