With the formation of a new governmental organisation for non-profit and charity organisations currently underway, many people across the sector may have burgeoning questions and queries about what to expect and how this may affect them.
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) is intended to be officially opened for operation by October 1 2012 but in the meantime interested followers and industry professionals may benefit from reading its updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.
According to Susan Pascoe, head of the ACNC Implementation Taskforce, they will be rolling out new FAQs in the lead-up to opening, with each update aiming to provide specific answers and case studies about different areas.
In the Commissioner's Column on 11 May she said that the latest FAQ section focuses on registration.
"We know there has been some concern regarding registration - for example who is in and who is out," she wrote.
"To complement the registration theme and help clarify this issue we have added a practical case study. You will find more case studies on other topics as we release further FAQs."
The registration case study uses the example of a junior league Australian football club to differentiate between charities and nonprofits- in this situation, since the club is a nonprofit and not a charity organisation, it does not need to concern itself with registering for the ACNC.
The study provides a much more detailed explanation - reading it may help you understand whether or not registration applies to your establishment.
There are also in-depth answers that cover topics ranging from what the ACNC will and won't do to why it is being set up, with more expected to be published over the next few months.
In other news, Ms Pascoe also updated readers of her column about recruitment progress.
Last month a Communications Director, Jan Sharrock, was appointed and has been one of the people behind delivering new FAQs.
She writes in the column: "Our aim is for communications to be the platform from which all the teams, Registration, Advice, Guidance and Policy and others within the ACNC can launch their ideas, messages and materials.
"A good example of collaborative working relationships has been in the preparation of the FAQs and guidance material, some of which you will see within this column."
The ACNC is advertising for a range of skilled personnel and there are current vacancies for an accountant and executive assistant.
