starting a charity

angel1987

Hi All,
I just wanted some info on how to go about starting up a charity which helps victims to move on.

thanks

Errata

Have you read through the Charity Commissioners website?

ILW

Why does it need to be a charity?

fran-o

There is a charity doing this sort of thing already & looking for support: http://www.victimsupport.org.uk
All the best

PlutoinCapricorn

It is important to think things through and do lots of research before starting a new charity: there are already thousands of social welfare charities in existence, and the Charity Commission themselves say that it is often best to support an existing one.

In the current economic state, charities are struggling to survive and many are considering merging.

Assuming that you are not intending to start a charity with your own money, you need to be aware of all the possible income sources and how to approach them. There is also the 'zero sum game' where money given to your charity means some other charity is deprived.

Do read through the "Starting a Charity" sticky at the top of this board.

Savvy_Sue

PlutoinCapricorn wrote: »

Do read through the "Starting a Charity" sticky at the top of this board.

Starting a charity sticky

angel1987

thanks for your replies the service i want to offer isnt something that is widely offered at the moment, yes its support for victims but with a difference. I dont know why it has to be a charity i suppose because i want to help victims rebuild their lives?

i have had a look at the charity commision website but just not too sure about how to go about the funding for it. i dont have any money to put into it, but i am willing to do fundraising for it.

lincroft1710

What would the people you intend to help be victims of. Crime? Physical/sexual abuse? Floods/earthquakes etc? Local to you? National? International?

Are you sure that there isn't an existing charity which doesn't try to do what you're hoping to do?

Savvy_Sue

The thing is you have an awfully wide concept there. Victims of what, exactly? What help do they need to move on that isn't already available?

If you have ideas about services which might help victims who need to move on to do so, then might it be worth exploring with charities which already work with that group of victims how those services could be provided locally, at least initially? Your efforts could then be much more focussed on getting the service provided, rather than the rigmarole of fundraising to set up a charity which would then have to fundraise to provide the services, IYSWIM.

motorguy

angel1987 wrote: »

i dont have any money to put into it, but i am willing to do fundraising for it.

Are you saying you've the time to do all the fundraising and also to do the work of the charity too? Is this going to be a full time job for you?

PlutoinCapricorn

Unfortunately, wanting to help people is not enough where running a charity is concerned.

The actual work is one aspect, administration is another, fundraising is yet another side to it. People who are good at one are not necessarily suitable for another.

You may find that people and organisations are reluctant to give to an unknown charity with no track record.

Had you thought of volunteering for an existing organisation to see what is involved, if wanting to help people is your main goal?