To start up a charity

[choclover3]

Is it a crazy idea? Has anybody done it successfully?

I know exactly what type of charity I would like to setup and why, what people it would help ect. But am I being naive in thinking I could do it?

Is there no charity that already supports the cause? Are you looking to raise funds towards a cause, or deliver some sort of charitable activity?

What are you hoping to achieve?

How are you going to fundraise and how are you going to appropriate funds?

You will need trustees to ensure the running of the charity, how are you planning to find them and other volunteers who you want to work for you?

If you’re using paid staff e.g. fundraising managers etc how are you going to afford to pay them initially?

Yes, it's certainly possible but it won't be easy!

The first question is whether there are any other organizations that meet the needs that you have identified. If so, why do you need a new charity?

If not, what evidence is there for the need? And who might be willing to support the work that is needed?

What's the cause?

It is wonderful that tou want to help people but in reality it is extremely unlikely that there isn't already a charity that does what you want to do.
Have you researched it to find out?

The governance of 'owner occupier' charities is often poor. You would need really Independent directors. And if you intend on being fully volunteer- reliant a great plan, if you will have employees, you also need excellent planning.

But of course it's possible. That's how all the thousands of charities started!

Generally, there are way too many charities, is yours really unique, could you set up a support group or a regional fundraising group or be an ambassador within one that already exists. It's hard to find people to fund it.

You can absolutely do it. I know a woman who started a charity collecting pre loved baby items for struggling families and it has been a huge success. Go for it

Of course you can.

You need cash. Regular cash, not crowdfunding, so sponsors really, to cover the cost of what you want to do, then start other fundraising. People I know who have done this successfully have usually worked in their area of interest either paid or voluntary, got results from their work and established themselves, networked to make themselves known to other charities and used that to get sponsorship and connections. You'll need to keep proper records including recording your exemptions etc. get your trustees, apportion power re decisions etc, register yourself. I mean it's a fair bit of work but it's not complicated.

Also the pandemic is going to influence how quickly you might achieve success.

Even the biggest charities in the UK have lost millions over the pandemic, in the current climate frankly it would be difficult to get a new charity off the ground.

Thank you for the replies.

The type of charity I want to set up is to help children who are victims of abuse. I know there are lots of charities out there for this but when I was younger and in need of something like this I always felt like I couldn't ever approach the big charities as they were 'big and official and a bit scary' which I see as an adult now is ridiculous.

However I want to set up something local for children in local schools ect. My idea would be to go in and provide talks/resources for local children to access if they needed it.

So are you qualified to offer this service and looking for funding to allow you to do it?

Sounds amazing, OP. Local friendly charities can make such a difference.

I used to work for a charity which did just that - go in to local schools and provide support and help around CSE. Such an important cause.

A couple of things to think about:

• How will you fund it? Schools themselves have no money to pay for this kind of enrichment/ support, the majority of this is funded through the LA or PCC. That’s why the bigger charities deliver most of the work — they’re the ones who have won the contracts and passed the procurement processes.

• What are your credentials/ safeguarding qualifications in this area? As you can imagine, anything to do with this area and working with young children you’ll have to be able to prove your credentials.

Charity governance can be incredibly bureaucratic and onerous. Is this something you could do via another charity which has set up processes, or even via freelancing/ a CIC instead?

Lots to consider beyond your desire to do good, which is laudable. Check out the charities regulatory body OSCR for advice. You will need money, trustees, governance, a seperate bank account, massive amounts of compliance especially if working with young people, a website, marketing and social media....and you will run into the big boys who wont want you taking a slice of their pie. Sorry to be negative but its a cut throat world in the third sector.

Have worked in the charity sector for years
This has been a horrendous year for the sector as a whole
Funding has fallen and around c. 50,000 charities are at risk of closure
Redundancies have been rife in big and small orgs

There are organisations who go into schools and talk about abuse - there will be small grassroots orgs which do it and the NSPCC used to pre Covid.

Sustainable funding is always a struggle / PR and marketing is also a big part of it - it’s a very hard job

You would have an incredible number of hoops to jump through - schools etc don't just let anybody in to talk to children, and especially not on this subject. You would need formal qualifications and experience, police checks and safeguarding training / clearance. Setting up a charity is not that hard - but what you are proposing is going to be almost impossible to achieve. You would need substantial experience of the field to get the chance to set foot in a school.

May be you can have an online channel to talk about it in a friendly and approachable way?

Think about all the things and support you wish you had and see if there is a digital way of providing it 😊 don’t give up!

See if there is a CVS in your area or another charity who provides 3rd sector support services
First of all you need to decide whether you want to be a charity or a CIC (not for profit) and how you want to be constituted - get advice as it’s harder to change later
Think about your aims and mission - what are you trying to achieve - how will you get funding to do it? Apply for grants or contracts? Survive on donations and cried funding? Sell your services to those who need help etc?
PM me if it helps - not an expert but may be able to point you in right direction
I’m CEO of one charity, trustee for another and a director of a CIC
Have a look on NCVO, charity commission website and gov.U.K. re setting up a CIC

Crowd funding not cried - it’s late and I hate auto correct - apologies

Yep I have.
There's basically no help now. The charities commission website used to be great. Now it's a crappy .gov.uk one.
Just go for it!

How do you plan to find the charity and make it sustainable? What will it cost to do what you want to do? Who needs the support? How do you know this and how can you evidence it? What activities is the charity going to undertake? What’s the outcome of your work? How will you show the impact of your work? If you run out of money for a project what’s your exit strategy?

If you plan on applying for funding for your work from grant givers you need to be really clear about all the above