MartinDomm

In the UK, both charities and non-profit organisations play vital roles in addressing social, environmental, and cultural issues.

Although they share similarities in their mission-driven nature and reinvestment of surplus revenues, they are distinct in their legal structures, purposes, and regulatory requirements. This blog post explores the differences between charities and non-profit organisations, highlighting their unique characteristics and operational frameworks.

Definition and Purpose

Charity: A charity is a type of non-profit organisation specifically established for public benefit purposes. These purposes can include the relief of poverty, advancement of education, promotion of health, protection of the environment, and other activities that improve society. Charities must be registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, depending on where they operate. The primary aim of a charity is to undertake activities that have a positive impact on society.

Non-Profit Organisation: A non-profit organisation (NPO), also known as a not-for-profit organisation, is an entity that operates without the primary goal of generating profit for its owners or shareholders. Instead, any surplus revenues are reinvested into the organisation to further its mission.

Legal Structure and Registration

Charity: Charities must adhere to specific legal requirements and obtain formal recognition from the relevant charity regulator. In England and Wales, charities must register with the Charity Commission if their annual income exceeds £5,000. Registered charities benefit from various tax reliefs and exemptions but must comply with stringent regulatory standards, including annual reporting and governance requirements.

Non-Profit Organisation: Non-profit organisations do not have to be registered with a charity regulator unless they wish to gain charitable status. They can operate under various legal structures, including companies limited by guarantee, community interest companies (CICs), and unincorporated associations. NPOs may be subject to different regulatory requirements depending on their legal form but generally face fewer restrictions compared to registered charities.

Funding and Taxation

Charity: Charities have access to a range of funding sources, including donations, grants, fundraising events, and trading activities. This is one of the reasons that charity accounting is so important. They benefit from several tax advantages, such as exemption from corporation tax on most income and gains, relief from VAT on certain goods and services, and eligibility for Gift Aid, which allows them to claim back tax on donations.

Non-Profit Organisation: Non-profit organisations also rely on various funding sources, including membership fees, grants, donations, and trading activities. However, they do not enjoy the same tax benefits as registered charities unless they achieve charitable status.

Governance and Accountability

Charity: Charities are subject to rigorous governance standards to ensure transparency and accountability. They must have a governing document that outlines their charitable purposes, governance structure, and operational rules. Trustees, who are responsible for the charity’s management, must adhere to strict legal duties and are accountable to the charity regulator and the public.

Non-Profit Organisation: Non-profit organisations have more flexibility in their governance structures, depending on their legal form. They may have a board of directors, committee members, or trustees who oversee the organisation’s activities.

 There are many similarities between the UK and USA legal system. This is not a surprise when you consider that both have evolved form the same common law, albeit interpreted in slightly different ways.

Even in the UK, there are differences between the court system in the different countries that make up the union but over the years the differences between the legal systems each side of the Atlantic have grown significantly.

In this article, we will look at three of the biggest differences between the legal systems in the UK and the USA.

Difference 1: Magistrates

Magistrates is a common term used in UK law, referring to the people responsible for presiding over the vast majority of minor offence cases. Magistrates have the power to hand out fines and a prison sentence of up to 12 months in the UK, depending on the offence in question.

Up to 95% of cases in the UK are heard by magistrates, and whilst the term is used in the US, the term is less common and refers to an elected official rather than a volunteer.

Difference 2: Law Training

Lawyers are an integral part of legal proceedings across the globe and are essential to both the UK and US court systems.

The training process that a person must go through to become a criminal lawyer is very different, however. In the UK, an undergraduate degree is the first step, followed by specialist barrister or solicitor training either in the barristers’ chambers or with the solicitors regulation authority.

In the US, on the other hand, lawyers must pass through law school which usually takes 3 years, once they have completed their initial degree. Then they must pass the bar exam and become part of the local bar association. As this point they can practice law in whatever area they may choose.

Difference 3:Tier Systems

In general, the USA has 3 main court levels, district, appellate, and supreme, with supreme courts hearing he most serious cases. One of the biggest differences between this set up and the one in the UK, is that there are both federal and state courts in the US which can often overlap in a single case through the appeal process.

On the other hand, in the UK there are also three court levels, the crown court, the court of appeals, and the supreme court. As in the USA, the supreme court is the highest level court system and the final destination for appeals regarding both civil and criminal cases.

In the UK, there are also more specific courts for areas of the law such as bankruptcy, eviction and more.

If you yourself have been the victim of a criminal offence, or have been charged with one, your first step should always be to secure expert legal representation as soon as possible, no matter which country you live in. If you live in Scotland, there are an array of top criminal lawyers Glasgow to choose from.

If you are hosting your own event, you will be juggling a whole host of different thoughts and questions about the best way to make it a great success.

One thought that may have crossed your mind is whether or not you need to hire professional security guards, or consult with a professional security company, to help keep your guests safe.

If you are hosting a large event with many guests, VIPs, and performers (a concert, festival, or sports match for example) the answer to this question is undoubtably yes. Only a professional security team can be relied upon to keep a large crowd safe during an event. The consequences of not taking your security obligations seriously simply don’t bear thinking about, and given the current climate it is always better to err on the safe side when gathering a large number of people into a single place. However, if you are only hosting a small event for a few people and the risk of disruption is low, there is probably no need for a professional security presence.

This is a difficult balance to find, when does a small event become medium-sized, etc. and finding the perfect combination can certainly be difficult for event organisers.

This blog is designed to help you to do just that, determining how much, or how little, security is required at your event to maximise guest safety.

Here are some of the most important things to consider:

How large a crowd is coming?

Probably the main determining factor as to how many event security guards you need and if you need to hire a professional security company for events is how many people you expect to be in attendance at your event.

In general, the more people who will be attending, the more security will be required, but this isn’t a standardised system. Some security firms advise that the 50 attendee mark is the point at which it becomes essential to have a manned guarding presence involving multiple security guards, and also the dividing line between a ‘small’ and ‘large’ event.

If your event is below 50 attendees, you can probably get away with a single security guard, but this isn’t always the case, and it will depend on the nature of your event.

What type of event are you hosting?

The nature of the event in question, and the expected behaviour of the guests at said event is another key determining factor in the level of security that will be required.

Even smaller gatherings, like the conference of a big business or a political speech may well require a large presence of security guards, for example, if protests are expected to take place. Similarly, all sports events tend to need security guards and stewarding, but if it is a big match between two local rivals, additional guards and stewards will be required and the police may well wish to liaise with them.

Will alcohol be served?

You probably don’t need us to tell you that if alcohol will be served at your event, there is a chance that things will get a bit more rowdy and a larger security presence might be a good idea. Alcohol and large crowds is a pretty potent combination and depending on the nature of the event, it won’t take much for joviality and good natured bantering to turn ugly. In fact, security industry experts actually recommend doubling your security guard for event presence if you intend to serve alcohol, in comparison to the same even without, it really does make that much of a difference.

Where is the event being held?

The location of the event venue will determine a huge amount of your overall security strategy, not only how many security guards will need to be on site. If you are holding an event at an out of town arena, without a huge amount going on around the perimeter, keeping it secure should be pretty straightforward, whilst inner city locations with a huge amount of passing traffic can be a bit more complicated.

What time of day is it?

The darkness of night does make things that little bit more complicated when it comes to event security, offering would-be intruders the coverage that they need to get closer to the venue without detection. Professional event security companies are more than used to assisting with events held at night, but they may well recommend a few additional security measures to be take such as temporary lighting around the venue and station a few additional guards around the perimeter.

One good way to prevent unauthorised individuals from reaching the event venue that your security team may recommend is establishing several checkpoints at various distances from the entrance that all visitors must pass through in order to gain access.