You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Applying for grants for things like Southampton Bike Park or Southern4X is more difficult now if you are not a charity so I was thinking of becoming a charity but I need a good name for it as WCA.org has already been taken.
This is the draft charity objectives and mission statement.
2. Objectives:
The objectives of the Charity are to improve mental and physical well-being of people within the community by funding and supporting community and group projects. These projects should be aimed at completing specific defined tasks or objectives with clear benefits and identifiable beneficiaries.
These initiatives may be the creation or refurbishment of facilities, the purchase of equipment, tools and materials or the provision of training courses with the associated collateral. It will not be for funding the operational running of the recipient groups.
3. Mission Statement:
[Charity Name] is committed to promoting holistic well-being by empowering communities and groups to undertake projects that enhance mental and physical health. We aim to enhance the scope and scale of what these groups can provide to maximise their reach and effectiveness in delivering their objectives. Through targeted funding and support, we aim to address specific challenges and needs of our beneficiaries that are currently holding them back in the promotion of sustainable positive change.
4. Activities:
The Charity shall engage in the following activities to achieve its objectives:
Identifying and funding community and group projects that contribute to mental and physical well-being and have a clearly defined and scoped challenge or need that can be addressed by a single discrete funded project.
Providing support and guidance to project leaders and participants to ensure successful project completion.
Monitoring and evaluating the impact of funded projects to assess effectiveness and inform future initiatives.
Collaborating with other organisations and stakeholders to maximise reach and impact.
NAME MY CHARITY
Do make sure your charitable objectives are solid enough for the status to not be challenged. There are tax advantages for charities and you don't want to fall foul of HMRC by finding they don't apply years down the line especially as a trustee.
Have you considered a Community Interest Company? The requirements are a bit looser but might still facilitate access to grants.
There are some good solicitors in Southampton who do charity regulation stuff.
NSPCS
National Society for the Prevention of Cute Squirrels
Do I get a free pen?
that’srightsmashit’squiteliderallyallforcharidy.org/nothalfmate
Cha-Ride-EEE
SO far SO good
PumpUp
Works on several levels - bicycle pump/tires, pump track/pumping on tracks generally, but also getting people energised and enthusiastic.
I'm quite pleased with that one - which probably means everyone else will think it's shit 😉
Have you had a look at the example objects from the Charities Commission?
There are examples for Community Amateur Sports and Recreational Charities. I know from experience that they like the beneficiaries to be clearly defined.
If you do get set up as a charity, don’t forget to apply for gift aid on any donations and subs.
Our scout group does and it brings in a decent chunk each year.
This is going to sound dreadfully dull but... the thing you are doing already has a name - Southampton Bike Park. Why call the body created to run it anything different. The charity only really has one objective - running the bike park. You'd only want a different name if you have ambitions to offer something other than cycling activities or offer cycling activities somewhere other than Southampton.
I am ploughing through the Government Website on what is required and am producing the Governance Document required to cover everything such as trustee job descriptions, dissolution, voting, executive structure, which of the 13 charitable purposes I will have.
Southampton Bike Park is just one of the things I am doing so I can't use that as a name. Southern4X, for example, is another. I have got Southampton Council to agree to put in a 150m pump track in the sports centre so there will be work to do there. I wouldn't mind taking over Lordswood lease and turning that int a proper Outdoor Activity woods rather than somewhere for burnt out cars and druggies.
Charity McCharityFace
Needs to be simple and descriptive, even boring, rather than clever or funny I reckon.
Southern Active / Southampton Active
Southern Active Spaces
Active Spaces Southampton (acronym on that one might not work! Or actually might - Get Your ASS Outside?)
Southampton Bike Park is just one of the things I am doing so I can’t use that as a name. Southern4X, for example, is another. I have got Southampton Council to agree to put in a 150m pump track in the sports centre so there will be work to do there. I wouldn’t mind taking over Lordswood lease and turning that int a proper Outdoor Activity woods rather than somewhere for burnt out cars and druggies.
Don't over think it - The name of the the charity doesnt become a brand name of the organisation or its activities. You can 'Trade as' any name you like. The registered name is just on applications, small print and invoices. It doesn't mean Southampton Bike Park needs to be known as something else once you register. You could take over the 'Lordswood' lease and it would still be Lordswood to anyone who uses it - somewhere there would be a bit of small print clarifying that 'Lordswood is a trading name of ......' . The people who take part in any of these activities don't know or care what the management structure, status or registered name is.
I was chief exec of a charitable organisation for a few years (sounds a grander title that it should for the 3 or 4 people I was in charge of - but we had a board so I was the exec). That has gone through 3 or 4 re-imaginings, renaming, rebranding and reboots over the years but it didn't need to, or bother too change its registered name even after quite radical changes. It only mattered on grant applications, board meetings and tax returns - the public didn't know or need to know.
[i]Needs to be simple and descriptive, even boring, rather than clever or funny I reckon.[/i]
You do get a 'formal name' and a 'known as' name. I think Comic Relief has the Formal Name or 'Charity Project'* but the publicly known as name of 'Comic Relief'.
*I bet that name was there on the template they used and they simply forgot to change it
Maccruisken - you typed as I typed. The formal name will be easy and doesn't need to be that punchy. I want something a bit catchy for the public name. We are looking to act as a funding conduit to things like the Southampton Bike Park and Southern4X.
They will operate independently with their own clubs etc. My charity will then be able to provide them with a funding l;ump to complete a major track refurb or even just a Gazebo and storage trailer.
I will probably go for some vanilla bland coverall name but thought STW might come up with some inspiration for me.
NCC - Nick's Cash Cow?
Southampton Outdoor Activity Network / Southampton Outdoor Activity Collective
NSSBA
Nick's secret Swiss bank account
UNBPE
Uncle Nick's Brown Paper Envelopes
D'NARO
Definitely not a Russian Oligarch
UNESCO
Uncle Nick's Ethically Sourced Cycling Opportunities
NASA
Nick's Altruistic Southampton Activities
everyone else will think it’s shit
I actually think that PumpUp is quite good..............
areyourboredenoughtowatchmefilloutagrantapplication.org
i was sure that would be post 2 but post 3 is not bad. Good work
SO far SO good
actually I neglected the obvious
SO-Far Enterprises
Pump and pedals