Write down your aims and objectives clearly on paper so one may easily read them and act. The first step to accessing funding for your group or organisation is to define your aims and objectives demonstrating that they are for the public benefit if it is to be recognised and registered as a charity in England and Wales.
What is the ‘public benefit requirement’?
‘Public benefit’ is the legal requirement that every organisation set up for one or more charitable aims must be able to demonstrate that its aims are for the public benefit if it is to be recognised and registered as a charity in England and Wales. This is known as the ‘public benefit requirement’.
Although all charities have always had to meet the public benefit requirement, the Charities Act highlights it by requiring all charities to demonstrate, explicitly, that their aims are for the public benefit, including charities advancing education or religion, or relieving poverty, which were previously presumed to be for the public benefit.
What are the principles of public benefit?
The two key principles of public benefit are that there must be an identifiable benefit or benefits, and benefit must be to the public, or a section of the public.
There must be an identifiable benefit or benefits
It must be clear what the benefits are
The benefits must be related to the aims
Benefits must be balanced against any detriment or harm
Benefit must be to the public, or section of the public
The beneficiaries must be appropriate to the aims
Where benefit is to a section of the public, the opportunity to benefit must not be unreasonably restricted by geographical or other restrictions.