Charity Commission NI formally launched
Published on Monday 1 June 2009
Here at GCD Technologies, we get a number of enquiries from existing and prospective Omega users in Northern Ireland regarding the new charity commission which has been in the process of being set up for a number of months now. Unlike England & Wales and Scotland, Northern Ireland has not had its own charity commission until Royal Assent was granted in September 2008 to formally set one up.
As of 1st June 2009, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland is now formally launched. The impact for charities (and, of course, churches) in Northern Ireland is such that financial returns will now fall closer in line with what churches in the rest of the UK have been doing for a number of years now. In a nutshell, the recording and reporting of financial activtiy within a church will be regulated and specific reports will be required by the commission on a yearly basis. The type of report will depend on the church's income for any given financial year.
The Northern Ireland Charity Commission does have a website - where you can find more information including contact details and a timetable for the next 2 years.
The Omega Church software program is fully compliant with the charity commission legislation - please check out the accounting features of our program for more information. Omega Accounts is available as a standalone program or as part of the full Omega Church package.