New reporting requirements for registered charities came into force from 1 April 2015. This means that registered charities will need to prepare financial statements in line with these new standards. One of the big changes is a need for all charities to report on 'service performance'. This is a report on what the organisation did to achieve its core objectives. The reporting requirements distinguish between 'outcomes' and 'outputs'. An outcome is the benefit you want to provide to the community, say 'Improve the quality of life of those living with XYZ disease'. An output is the specific service (or goods) delivered, e.g. 'Provide cheap/free accommodation near base hospitals for rural patients' or 'Train puppies to become guide dogs'. 
   What you have to do:
  • Identify your organisation's outcomes. They can often be derived from the mission statement 
  • List your major outputs 
  • Establish a system for measuring delivery of outputs. You will want to report quantities delivered, e.g. number of patients accommodated and/or number of nights, and optionally: 
  • Costs associated with the output 
  • Quality and 
  • Timeliness 
  • Prepare a budget for the delivery of outputs and 
  • Establish, if practical, the quantities delivered in the previous year
It's important you start this now, as it will be difficult to do at the end of the financial year.
If you want help with this give us a call today and talk it through.