Denise Copeland

Governance and Charity Advice Manager
Organisational Development
Governance and Charity Advice

Denise's Latest content

Title Type Summary
Special rules for holding company AGMs online have ended Article Companies must now follow their Articles of Association in relation to the holding of general meetings.   Published
Independent review of charity regulation engagement meetings Article The Independent Review Panel of Charity Regulation seeks your views on how well the charities regulatory framework, which is administered by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, is working and what could work better.  Draft
Independent review of charity regulation has commenced Article The Minister for Communities has commissioned an independent review of charity regulation in N.Ireland which commenced on 25 January 2021.   Draft
Making time for governance Article The past year has been a challenging time for organisations across the sector but technology has enabled many of us to do things differently, whether it be holding our board meetings online or adapting our services to meet public health guidance. Draft
Reserves policy guidance Resource A reserves policy helps trustees to justify holding appropriate levels of financial reserves to protect against future uncertainties. It is something which various stakeholders may be interested in viewing from time to time. Published
AGMs and company house filings Article Companies, registered societies and credit unions that are due to hold an AGM in early 2021 will be glad to hear that they will be permitted to hold this online. Draft
Trustees' Week 2020 was a hit with Trustees Article Trustees’ Week is a time to celebrate and recognise the great work done by thousands of trustees. This year Trustees got the opportunity to brush up on their governance knowledge at our series of webinars for Trustees.  Published
Trustee annual reporting webinar recording Article If you missed our webinar on Trustee annual reporting for Trustees' Week you can watch it now at the link below.  Published
The Code of Good Governance in a virtual world webinar recording Article If you missed the Developing Governance Group's webinar for Trustees' Week on the Code of Good Governance in a virtual world, you can watch it now below.   Published
What does being a charity trustee mean? webinar recording Article Sarah Finnegan, Head of Compliance and Enquiries at the Charity Commission for NI, kicked off Trustees’ Week with a webinar on What does being a charity trustee mean? Published
Charities SORP - Time for Trustees to have their say Article Charities which prepare accounts on the accruals basis are legally required to apply the Charities SORP.  This SORP is in the early stages of being redeveloped and charity trustees' views are being sought. Published
Trustees' Week 2020 Article Trustees’ week is a time to recognise and value the work that thousands of Trustees do voluntarily for organisations of different sizes and purpose across the voluntary and community sector.  Draft
Identifying and managing risk (CFNI) webinar recording Article If you missed our webinar on Identifying and Managing Risk on 7 October 2020 you can watch it now via the link below.  Published
Annual general meetings Article Organisations that are due to hold an AGM in the autumn will be glad to hear that new temporary rules have come into force which allow companies, registered societies and credit unions to hold general meetings online.  Published
Managing finances and options for sustainability in uncertain times Webinar recording Article NICVA facilitated a webinar on 24 September 2020 on 'Managing finances in uncertain times and the options for sustainability.'   Published
Risk management guidance to help you move forward Article Many boards will be faced with making difficult decisions in the near future so it is imperative that they are getting the right information to help achieve the best outcomes for their organisations.   Published
Charity street collections can resume Article The PSNI has announced that street collections can recommence if collectors use a suitable object to adhere to the one metre social distancing rule.  Published
Creating/reviewing your reserves policy webinar recording Article If you missed our webinar on 'creating/reviewing your reserves policy'  you can watch it now via the link below. Published
Effective online trustee meetings webinar recording Article If you missed our webinar on 'Effective trustee meetings online'  you can watch it now via the link below. Published
Guidance for charities experiencing financial difficulties Article The Charity Commission has published guidance for charity trustees of smaller charities experiencing financial difficulties due to COVID-19 emergency.   Published
From boxing club to soup kitchen Article Monkstown Boxing Club is no ordinary boxing club. It had been using sport to deliver innovative programmes to young people in the area before Covid-19 struck.  Published
Trustee responsibilities under GDPR webinar recording Article If you missed our recent webinar on 'Trustee responsibilities under GDPR'  you can watch it now via the link below.  Published
Managing finance in difficult times webinar Article If you missed our recent webinar on 'Managing finance in difficult times' delivered by Tony Clarke from Clarke & Co Accountants Ltd, you can watch it now via the link below.  Published
Wrongful trading provisions to be temporarily suspended for UK companies Article Charitable companies and their trading subsidiaries will be relieved to hear that the government is planning to temporarily suspend wrongful trading provisions retrospectively from 1 March 2020 until 30 June.  Published
Is your organisation carrying out different activities as a result of the coronavirus? Article Many voluntary organisations are helping out with the impact of the coronavirus but are they restricted by their own governing document from doing so?  Published
Companies House - extension for filing accounts Article Registered companies will be able to apply to Companies House for a 3-month extension for filing their accounts to help them deal with the impact of Covid-19 Published
Charity Commission issues updated guidance for charities during the coronavirus outbreak Article The Charity Commission's guidance now includes important advice on charity finance, safeguarding, charitable purposes, fundraising, data protection, annual reporting, charity meetings and charity registration.  Draft
Charity meetings during the Coronavirus outbreak Article Charity trustee meetings and AGMs are usually held on a face-to-face basis, however, during the coronavirus period charities will need to consider public health, while maintaining good governance at the same time. Published
Responsible investment Article Should you be investing your charity funds more wisely?  Draft
NICVA response to the Regulation of Gambling consultation Article NICVA has prepared a response to the Regulation of Gambling in Northern Ireland consultation.  Published
31 Jan - Charity annual reporting deadline Article If your registered charity's financial year is 1 April - 31 March then you will have a deadline of 31 January in which to submit your annual monitoring return to the Charity Commission.   Draft
Regulation of Gambling in Northern Ireland consultation Article NICVA has prepared a briefing paper on the Regulation of Gambling in Northern Ireland consultation.  Published
Basic finance training for small charities Article A series of free practical workshops for treasurers or personnel of small charities to help them establish appropriate financial systems to keep their organisation safe. Published
31 Oct - Charity annual reporting deadline Article If your registered charity's financial year is 1 January - 31 December then you will have a deadline of 31 October in which to submit your annual monitoring return to the Charity Commission.    Draft
Consultation on changes to the application for registration and the Annual Return Regulations 2019 Article The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland is currently consulting on proposed changes that it would like to make to both the application for charity registration and the annual monitoring return.  Published
Code of good governance consultation Article The Code of Good Governance is a voluntary set of standards on good governance practice for the boards of voluntary and community organisations. Draft
Charity Commission delays charity registration for some Article The Charity Commission is currently not registering all charitable organisations that have submitted an application due to a High Court ruling which was handed down on 16th May.    Draft
Developing a governance planning calendar Resource Creating a governance calendar is a very practical and effective way for organisations to develop their own planning framework to help them identify their key governance events and requirements throughout the course of a year. Published
NICVA’s Trustees’ Annual Reporting Conference Article This year’s Trustees’ conference, held on 4 June 2019, was all about the Trustee Annual Report (TAR).   Published
Marathon fever hits NICVA Article This Sunday, two relay teams from NICVA (and friends) will be pounding the streets of Belfast in an effort to raise funds for Sunshine Foundation Romania.   Draft
Charities ‘in default’ Article There are currently 474 charities classified as being ‘in default’ on the charity register.  Published
Compliance actions for failed accounts consultation - NICVA's response Article The Charity Commission is proposing to change the ‘up-to-date' status display information in relation to the annual reporting information on a charity’s entry on the charity register. Published
Celebrating trusteeship Article Trustees’ Week 2018 takes place during 12-16 November to celebrate the great work that trustees contribute to charities.  It is also an opportunity for charities to think about how they could attract new people onto their Boards.  Draft
NICVA response to Charity Commission's strategic plan Article The Commission is developing a new strategic plan to guide its work from 2019-2022.  It's consultation is open until 5pm on Monday 12 November 2018.   Draft
How good is your governance? Article This is a question that trustees should be considering as part of their role on the board.   Draft
Is your charity annual monitoring return due? Article The Charity Commission has issued text alerts to trustees and updated its guidance on how to complete the annual monitoring return with helpful screenshots of the online return.   Draft
Good governance and charity reporting Article The Developing Governance Group has arranged two further good governance and charity reporting seminars with the Charity Commission and local support networks in both Omagh and Newry.  Draft
Good Governance and Charity reporting Article Almost 6,000 charities are now registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland and as such, must adhere to the reporting requirements for all registered charities.  Draft
Annual charity reporting – getting ready for the 2018 deadline Article This New Year's Day, over 1,000 charities will be notified by the charity regulator that they have 10 months in which to submit their annual accounts.   Draft
Changes to the annual monitoring return for charities Article The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland is currently consulting on changes to the Annual Monitoring Return which all registered charities will have to complete – deadline for consultation responses is 5 pm on Tuesday 21 November 2017 Draft