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About us

Charity Business is the leading provider of outsourced financial back office services to the charity and not for profit sector in the UK. The company was formed in 1999 and has year on year, grown substantially through a focus on outsourced and financial and strategic consultancy services.  We currently service in excess of 110 not for profit clients including well known charity brands such as Age Concern, EnCams (Keep Britain Tidy) and The National Trust.   Charity Business only works with the not for profit sector although stays closely in touch with what is going on in the commercial sector keeping up to date with trends and new services and products.

Charity Business was formed by the Chief Executive, Mark Freeman to have the maximum positive impact on the charity sector, improving efficiency by reducing administrative costs and giving the ability to generate accurate information and reporting.  Our services are also aimed to ease the burden of regulatory reporting to the Charity Commission, Inland Revenue and other regulatory bodies.

We have done this through developing high quality financial procedures and streamlined finance functions.  We focus on automation to increase savings through economies of scale and through the use of structured and fully supported teams, provide constant cover for our clients. 

The charity sector is under considerable pressure from the Charity Commission, government, influential trustees and the general public to improve operational efficiency, transparency and to focus on value added decisions as opposed to information processing. Currently the proportion of administrative costs to donations is increasing. More pressure than ever is being put on charities to maximize the amounts actually being used for good causes. SORP 2005 and the Charities Act 2006 require charities to provide more public information than ever before on their operational efficiency.

Certain charities have responded by considering merging but there are sometimes issues over being able to resolve the tension between retaining separate identities and merging to achieve economies of scale. Charity Business was formed to provide an alternative solution.

From its inception Charity Business aimed to work with the not for profit sector to develop discounted solutions for the sector.  We have developed a number of partnering relationships with third parties to be able to offer a comprehensive service range.  Charity Business is preferred supplier to NCVO and associated with ACEVO through its voluntary seminar programmes.

Charity Business now boasts a unique combination of management experience and charity sector expertise to bring a new style of charity finance to its clients, allowing them to make significant savings and improvements. The Board consists of five members (a Chief Executive, four Non-Executive Directors including a Non-Executive Chairman), while the Senior Management team includes the Operations Manager, the Head of Consultancy & Reporting and the Head of Marketing & Communications.

Charity Business Timeline

2007

  • Appointment of Tracey Reddings to Board
  • Move to Kembrey Park Business Park (6,200 sq ft)

2006

  • Appointment as Internal Auditors for The Institute of Physics
  • Swindon College LogoPartners with for professional staff development programme

2005

  • New services - Internal Audit & Investment Management
  • Appointment as Internal Auditors for Adepta
  • Partnership with CAF Bank for banking services
  • Partnership with HW for audit services

2004

  • Expansion of staff resources & Board
  • Appointment of Non-Executive Chairman
  • First major outsourcing contract with Students’ Union

2003

  • Move to new office in Swindon West (3,000 sq ft)
  • Consultancy contract with WWF
  • NCVO Discounted Service Supplier Logo 2008Preferred supplier

 

2002

  • Second major outsourcing contract worth £50,000
  • Second large consultancy contract with Historic Royal Palaces

2001

  • ACEVO LogoPreferred supplier
  • First outsourcing contract worth £20,000

2000

  • 1st large contract – British Red Cross Society

1999

  • Charity Business formed
  • Outsourcing feasibility study   undertaken