Charity Finance for Trustees - London

Trustees are jointly and severally responsible for the proper stewardship of the assets of their charity. It is therefore essential that all trustees understand charity finance and feel that they can monitor and question financial information, and can make major decisions jointly with the other trustees regarding financial planning and major expenditure. This course by governance magazine, is a must for all trustees whether they have some or no financial expertise.

9.30am Registration and coffee

10.00am Introductions
              Types of charitable funds
              Requirements of SORP
              Annual accounts
              • how to read them? How to pick out crucial information?
              • study of various examples of annual accounts – questions to ask and conclusions to
                draw
              Annual Reports
              • what should be in them?
              • trustees’ responsibilities

11.15am Coffee break

11.30am Budgets
              • essential elements of a good budget proposal to the board
              • importance of setting financial targets, trend analysis, risk assessment etc
              Financial papers to the board
              • what should they ideally contain? (Including monitoring against budget, end of year
                forecasts, monitoring of financial targets and trend analysis)
              • what should trustees look for?
              • crucial questions to ask
              • study of various examples of financial board papers – questions to ask and
                conclusions to draw

1.00pm Lunch

2.00pm The role and responsibilities of the auditor
            • the board’s relationship with the auditor
            • the importance of the audit planning letter, the letter of representation and the
              management letter
            Tax and VAT relating to charities

3.15pm Tea and coffee

3.30pm Identifying and managing risk
            The audit function (both financial and non-financial)
            Economically difficult times
            • what trustees should be monitoring
            • what to do in the event that your charity becomes insolvent

4.30pm End

Venue: BDO, 55 Baker Street, London, W1U 7EU

For more information or to book a place on the course please download the attached document.