With most charities holding their Annual General Meetings over the next few months, a new resources page has been created by the charity regulator to help Not for Profits understand their obligations.

The national charity regulator, the ACNC, has developed a dedicated resources page to help charities during this period.

The regulator says an AGM aims to give members a report on the charity’s activities and finances for the previous year, to allow time for them to ask questions, and to elect board or committee members.

If charities make certain changes at their AGM (such as to legal name, responsible persons or governing documents), they must notify the ACNC.

ACNC Assistant Commissioner Murray Baird said charities should also take the opportunity during AGM season to remind themselves of the ACNC governance standards and consider how they can demonstrate that they are meeting these standards.

Although the ACNC does not require charities to hold an AGM, charities should check their rules and any legislation that applies to them to find out whether they are required to do so.

The ACNC says it will be developing further resources such as template minutes, agendas and notices for AGMs over the next months to support charities to hold their AGMs.

“Annual General Meetings are one of the most important times in the annual calendar of a charity. They provide an opportunity for members to gather and participate together in governance,” Baird said.

“Holding an AGM is one of the key ways a charity can demonstrate accountability to its members, celebrate achievements and focus on the year ahead.

“The ACNC encourages charities to use their AGM to review activities and finances from the previous year. Having this information at hand will help to prepare for their reporting obligations to the ACNC.”

Sourced from ProBono Australia - Resource directory here: http://acnc.gov.au/ACNC/Manage/Tools/ACNC/Edu/Tools/AGM_ACNC.aspx