Last week the ACNC and NSW Fair Trading announced a new agreement which will reduce duplicate reporting requirements for charities. This is fantastic news for the charity sector.
From 1 October 2018, New South Wales incorporated associations that are also registered charities will now only be required to submit their annual financial reports to the ACNC, and then we will securely share the data with NSW Fair Trading.
I would like to thank the New South Wales State Government for its commitment to reducing unnecessary regulation for charities. This is a positive change for around 4,000 charities across New South Wales – reducing the administrative burden and allowing charities to focus on their charitable activities.
For more information visit the ACNC website at acnc.gov.au/NSW, or the NSW Fair Trading website.
With this announcement, most Australian registered charities now benefit from a streamlined reporting arrangement – and I hope to be able to make further announcements in the coming months.
ACNC website launch draws nearer
The new and improved ACNC website and Charity Portal is set to launch next month. We are excited to share our faster, more stable and user-friendly site in October.
However, until then, it is business as usual.
If your charity needs to submit a form, such as completing the 2017 Annual Information Statement or notifying the ACNC of changes to details over the next few weeks, I encourage you to complete the form in the one session wherever possible, or within 48 hours of starting a form.
Forms that have been previously completed and submitted will not be affected by the changes, but information that has not been submitted will be lost when the new website launches.
Completing forms in a timely manner will protect against the loss of information as we continuously transfer data in the lead-up to the launch of our new IT system.
I also recommend that charities check to ensure they have not left any forms as ‘in progress’ by logging in to the ACNC Charity Portal.
Thank you for your patience as we work to bring you the updated ACNC website and Charity Portal.
It is not too late to consider including a charity
Last week was Include a Charity Week, an initiative which encourages Australians to consider leaving a charitable gift in their Will.
Supported by the Fundraising Institute of Australia, Include a Charity Week aligns with similar events internationally and educates people on the benefits and legal requirements of leaving a charitable gift in a Will.
If you are considering leaving a gift to charity, it would be sensible to search the ACNC Charity Register to find out more about an organisation of your choice at acnc.gov.au/charityregister.
You can search the Charity Register to find out more about the charities supporting your community and projects of interest to you.
More information is available at includeacharity.com.au.
Three ACNC webinars remaining in 2018
There are just three free webinars remaining in 2018. Our webinars are a helpful, interactive resource for charities on a range of topics including charity management, governance, staffing, tax concessions and more.
Our next webinar, on Tuesday 25 September, will discuss the roles and responsibilities of charity board members and the importance of good governance.
In October, the team will share insights into good fundraising practices, and how to ensure your charity’s fundraising is effective.
In the final webinar for the year, we will discuss the business of running a charity efficiently – including discussing the potential of collaboration and mergers in the sector.
Sign up now at acnc.gov.au/webinars to attend the remaining 2018 sessions, or to download and view any presentations you may have missed throughout the year.