As with any business, records management plays a vital role but did you know charities also need good records keeping and adherence to regulations? Good records keeping will demonstrate good governance, processes and decision making helping your charity build trust with donors, funders and the public. Now, comes the big question…what do you need to keep records of and for how long?
Here we list all you need to know on records management for charities!
1. What are ‘records’?
Records are any form of documents generated for work by an organisation from past to current depicting who you are, how you are run and what you do.
2. Who needs to do the keeping?
The individuals responsible for record keeping are trustees, executive committee members, senior management, staff and volunteers.
3. What type of records needs to be kept?
The records can be broken down into 3 main categories:
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Governance - Examples: minutes, annual reports, trust deeds and membership records
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Finance and Resources - Examples: annual accounts, property records, deeds and inventories
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Staff and Work - Examples: employee records, press releases, newspaper cuttings and documents
4. What regulations do you need to comply with?
- The Charities Act 2011
- The Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016
Under these acts, charities would need to keep a record of the following:
- Annual reports
- Annual submission to the Charity Commission (including financial data)
- Demonstrating to the Charity Commission that the organisation is well run
- Evidence and proof to the Charity Commission in the event of an inquiry to the charity
5. What is GDPR?
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), an E.U. law on data protection and privacy. This law governs personal data rights and ways companies are permitted to collect, store and use personal data of their donors and beneficiaries.
6. How can Cube Records Management Services be of assistance?
Cube Records Management Services will professionally archive your charity’s irreplaceable documents while guaranteeing total privacy with 24/7 access, all managed within a state-of-the-art security system. We also provide secure document destruction, scanning, retrieval and offsite data management.
Get in touch with our specialists today!
