Author: DCAS

Autumn Training Courses

Well, the summer holiday season is upon us, so what better time to plan for your training needs in the Autumn?

We are again running a range of short training courses and talks, designed specifically for those people involved in running the finances of a group as treasurer, bookkeeper or management committee member, or those individuals interested in developing their accounting skills.

16th September: Pensions Auto-Enrolment

7th October: Financial Management for Voluntary Groups

14th October: Employment Law

21st October: Excel Spreadsheets for Beginners

4th November: Budgeting and Cashflow Forecasting

8th November: Management Reporting

27th November: Marketing and Strategies for Charities

Interested? Contact us here

Pensions Auto Enrolment

Our advertised information morning on

Wednesday 16th September 2015

is already attracting interest.

Guest speaker Darren Wheatcroft, a local Independent Financial Advisor, will guide us through legislation which will have a major impact on all employers whether we like it or not!

Darren will also explain the pension freedoms brought about by the new legislation

To book a place, please contact us here

Sad News

It is with deep regret that we have to inform you of the death of our friend and colleague Andrew Buxton.

Andrew served as chair of our board of trustees for 10 years, giving freely of his expertise to not only our organisation but to other groups in the area who were in need of his help and advice on financial matters.

He will be sadly missed by all of us at DCAS, and we send condolences to his wife, family and friends.

Mr Claw – The Book

Have you recruited new trustees recently?

Our training manual

‘The Adventures of Mr Claw in the World of Charity Accounting’

has proved to be a valuable source of information for those new to the business of understanding charity accounts, and all the rules and regulations that go with it!

We do have a few copies available for purchase, and if you would like a copy sending out to you for the bargain price of £2.50, plus postage, then contact us here

How to Recruit Trustees

We are often asked the question ‘How do we find trustees?’

Well, there is no need to struggle – just go to this website and you could have all your questions answered.

http://www.reachskills.org.uk/trusteeworks

TrusteeWorks introduces voluntary organisations to talented trustees with the right blend of skills and experience for free.

The matching service is now absolutely free to organisations under £1M turnover

The website also gives you valuable guidance on preparing and information pack for prospective new trustees.

Employers fined for failing to comply with pensions duties

The total number of employers fined for failing to comply with their workplace pensions duties reached 169 by the end of 2014, according to figures released by The Pensions Regulator

The total represents a small number compared to the tens of thousands of businesses which have now complied with their automatic enrolment duties.

A significant number of the notices issued in this period were to employers who had missed their deadline to submit their declaration.

The Pensions Regulator’s Director of automatic enrolment, Charles Counsell, said,

“My message to all employers is that failing to declare within five months of your staging date means you risk being fined, which is why we recommend you start your automatic enrolment planning and preparation 12 months before staging.”

End of Year Accounts

For those of you whose accounting period ended on 31st March 2015, may we gently remind you that accounts will need to be submitted to our office for examination as early as possible before your AGM date.

These accounts will also need to be filed with the Charity Commission by 31st January 2016, which might sound a long way away at the moment, but the date can creep up on you very quickly, so be ready!!!

Excel Spreadsheet Printouts

Excel is a great piece of software for a treasurer to use to keep track of their accounts.

BUT – can you print out a hard copy for your accountant without having to stick many pages together?

If you need help to achieve a workable spreadsheet system, then look out for our training courses.

Some comments from previous participants:

It was very useful and informative

Good handouts

Everything was explained very well

The tutor was very informative and knowledgeable

I learned some useful keyboard shortcuts

Contact us here if you would like to be put on the waiting list for the next course in September