How CCASA Helped One Hope Foundation Limited Get Registered as a Charity

Any eligible not-for-profit organisation can apply to be registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC)—but it can be a lengthy and complicated process. Only 60,000 of the 600,000 not-for-profits in Australia are officially registered as a charity. One Hope Foundation Limited recently engaged CCASA to assist them with this process and were happy to have their ACNC application approved in October. They can now officially enjoy the benefits of being a registered charity.

What is the process to become a registered charity in Australia?

One Hope Foundation Limited operates in Zambia as House of Hope Africa, Educare Africa and Clinicare Africa, but the company itself is an Australian company and as such is required to be registered in Australia with the ACNC.

The first step to registering One Hope Foundation Limited as a charity was to confirm that the organisation met the requirements of being a ‘charity’, meaning it was a not-for-profit, exhibited charitable purposes for the public benefit, complied with ACNC governance standards and did not have a disqualifying purpose. Once it was established that the organisation met the requisite criteria of being a ‘charity’, the next (extremely time-consuming) step was to collect and document more complicated information, such as:

1. the organisation’s details, including ABN and ACN, registration with ASIC, legal structure and contact details
2. governing documents of One Hope Foundation Limited’s purpose (objects), activities and processes
3. One Hope Foundation Limited’s charitable purpose(s). In this instance the organisation applied under the following charitable purposes:
   1. the advancement of health
   2. the advancement of education
   3. the advancement of social or public welfare.
4. One Hope Foundation Limited’s operating locations (both nationally and internationally)
5. responsible people in the organisation, such as its board and trustees
6. financial information about the organisation, including income and expenditure.

Organisations that operate outside of Australia are also open to more scrutiny and will often be requested to provide further information and documentation, such as internal policies relating to transfers of money, volunteers, child protection etc.

In partnership with BlueRock Partners, CCASA was able to drive this application process and get One Hope Foundation Limited registered quickly and easily.

Obtaining Deductible Gift Recipient status

Gaining access to charitable tax concessions and obtaining endorsement as a deductible gift recipient (DGR) was also an important goal for One Hope Foundation Limited. However, it is important to note that not all charities will automatically be entitled to DGR benefits. This can be a difficult and lengthy process. CCASA and BlueRock Partners were able to achieve registered charity status and endorsement in quick time with the assistance of ACNC and the ATO. One Hope Foundation Limited can now enjoy benefits such as income tax exemption, fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemption and rebates, GST concessions and DGR status, which means donors to One Hope Foundation Limited can claim income tax deductions for their donations.

You can find more information about the charity registration process on the ACNC website.

What are One Hope Foundation Limited’s ongoing obligations as a registered charity?

As a registered charity with the ACNC, One Hope Foundation Limited must now make sure to:

• meet charity reporting requirements
• comply with governance standards
• comply with external conduct standards.

CCASA is assisting One Hope Foundation Limited with the required reporting and compliance to ensure a seamless and pain-free experience with their ongoing registration.

With legislation around charity registration changing all the time, it’s important to get the help of a qualified compliance team and specialised lawyers. Contact Craig at CCASA at craig@ccasa.com.au to enquire about registering your not-for-profit organisation with the ACNC through our new service. We also recommend seeking legal advice from BlueRock Partners at partners@thebluerock.com.au to determine the best course of action for your not-for-profit organisation.

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