(a charitable company limited by guarantee)
Registered Charity No. 1054914
Company Number 3182826
We did not achieve the 25% online booking and payment for events which was planned. We did not go live with the new on-line booking system in November 2006 as previously projected. We were eventually able to roll this out during April 2007 and we will go live during the Spring after thorough testing.
CFDG has increased its engagement with members on policy matters over the last year with regular policy briefings being prepared on major issues impacting on the sector such as the Local Government White Paper, the Finance Bill and the Budget.
The Policy and Campaigns Officer has also started an ad hoc policy email for members that updates them on relevant policy activity whilst giving them the opportunity to take part in current CFDG consultations. Members have greeted this new method of engagement with enthusiasm and now over 1,000 members receive this policy email.
CFDG has been active in policy work over the last year and has had regular meetings with other organisations whose work complements ours. We are starting to build up our government contacts and have had meetings with HM Treasury, HM Revenue and Customs, Office of the Third Sector, and the Charity Commission to raise some of the more generic issues faced by our members such as the complexities of VAT in relation to charities, trading, the burden of regulation, the administration of Gift Aid and full cost recovery. Over the year CFDG has also met with MPs of the main opposition parties who represent the interests of the voluntary sector and this has resulted in several parliamentary questions being asked. Some of our key achievements over the year are set out below starting with the most recent.
In April this year CFDG launched a new publication entitled Know your cost base, know your charity. This publication is an important first step on the road to full cost recovery calculations and also aims to raise awareness of the importance of understanding a charity's cost base and its implications for both funding and broader financial management. This highlighted the need for charities to properly understand and manage their costs and had input from the Compact Commissioner who wrote the foreword. It was well received by the sector and over the next year we intend to develop more publications and best practice guidance.
CFDG and ACEVO made a joint submission of fifteen demands to the Treasury in advance of the Budget. Our top three demands related to irrecoverable VAT, Trading and Gift Aid. We will be discussing these issues further with HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs during the year. One of our demands (concerning flexibility on the VAT reliefs in buildings) was implemented in the 2007 Budget.
CFDG submitted a joint response with the Charities Consortium to the Third Sector Review undertaken by the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. In preparing this response we undertook extensive consultation with members in the regions and found this to be invaluable. We plan to repeat this for other major policy activity. We had a constructive meeting with HM Treasury to discuss our report .
Page 8 - Annual Report and Financial Statements 2007