Registered charities are being urged to submit their 2017 annual reporting to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) sooner rather than later.
Acting ACNC Commissioner, Murray Baird, encouraged the 30,000 charities who must submit their reports by 31 January 2018 to be prepared.
“It can be easy for charities to push their reporting obligations aside in the lead-up to the holiday season and the new year,” Baird said.
“We are encouraging all charities reporting on a financial year to consider finalising their Annual Information Statements sooner rather than later.
“Many charities will now be in a position to submit their Annual Information Statement to the ACNC.
“The information charities provide is published on the ACNC’s Charity Register – the free searchable dataset that has been searched over 2 million times.”
There are a number of things a charity can do to plan ahead and ensure they are prepared to submit their 2017 Annual Information Statement, including:
- Ensuring that the charity has hosted its annual general meeting (AGM) to discuss its activities and finances, particularly if an AGM is required by the charity’s constitution or is appropriate for accountability to members,
- Confirming who within the charity will be responsible for the completion and submission of the 2017 Annual Information Statement,
- Making sure that the required staff or volunteers have access to the ACNC Charity Portal – if needed, ACNC Charity Portal passwords can be reset at acnc.gov.au/passwordreset, and;
- Taking time to review the charity’s previous Annual Information Statements, and identify any areas which may require further information.
The ACNC has also produced guidance materials designed to assist charities of all sizes in completing their required annual reporting.
“Our team has produced a range of useful resources designed to help charities prepare their Annual Information Statement with minimal fuss,” Baird said.
“We recommend charities review the 2017 Annual Information Statement Guide and Checklist, available on the ACNC website at acnc.gov.au/2017AIS.
“We also suggest that charities read our latest report on common reporting issues we identified throughout the 2016 Annual Information Statement process, which can be found on the ACNC website at acnc.gov.au/2016reportingtrends.”
Completing the Annual Information Statement is a requirement for charities to maintain their registration with the ACNC.
Charities can access the 2017 Annual Information Statement now via the ACNC Charity Portal.
If charities need further support, they can contact the ACNC’s friendly Advice Services team on 13 22 62, from 9am to 6pm (AEDT) Monday to Friday.