Starting up or converting from a business to a charity or social enterprise

If you are considering what would be the best legal structure for you, we can help at every stage. Much of what you need to do is explained by the Charity Commission or on Government websites so we will give as much or as little help as you decide you need and will signpost you to what is available free.

Just an idea - the evaluation stage

Before you commit to any change, we will work with you so that we totally understand what you want to achieve and then we can discuss with you the pros and cons of each of the options. You will then have the information to decide what type of organisation you think will be the best going forward.

Minimising the hassle - the strategy stage

If you decide that you want to become a social enterprise or a charity, we can then help develop a strategy to achieve this. There are different types of legal body (you can see more here), and it is essential to choose the right one. The timing of the steps of the changeover has to be considered carefully, and you may need to recruit trustees and get right the timing of opening and closing bank accounts etc.

Making it easy - the support stage

We can also help with the documents you will need to have in place, such as a new Memorandum and Articles or developing robust Charitable Objects. We will review every element of what you are going to submit to ensure there are no apparent issues such as people who are to be charity trustees also financially benefiting.