Tucked away, our small team processes over 3000 financial transactions each month, both income and expenditure. 

I thought it might be of interest to know what happens to the pennies and pounds that arrive and how we account for it all.

Charities are heavily regulated and have to give an accurate picture of all income and expenditure.  Income has to be split by source and also by any restrictions given by the donor on how the money is to be used.

All charities need to prove that money given for a specific purpose is actually spent as the donor intended.  Also expenditure must be used to further the aims that Caring For Life has registered with the charities commission.

Graham and Simon in the accounts office

Where possible, every donation is linked with the individual who generously sent it.  This is then checked against our record of gift aid declarations to see if we have been authorised to claim the income tax back from Gordon Brown. 

(If you are a UK Tax Payer and have not completed a Gift Aid declaration for CFL then please contact us; for every £10 donated we will receive an additional £2.80 from the government.)

You might think that this routine would become somehow tedious and repetitive after a while, but you would be wrong. It is a genuine blessing for us to notice and appreciate each gift separately.  We are privileged to see the ongoing faithfulness and generosity of our supporters on a daily basis.  This is such a reminder to us to thank God for our supporters and the way God has, and does, provide.

All this income and encouragement is tempered by the unrelenting flow of invoices and costs that are unavoidable when running an organisation such as Caring For Life. 

We continually strive to ensure all the money we spend makes a significant difference to the lives of so many people.  We also spend time making sure we are getting the best possible deal to enable your money to have the greatest impact.

But to think of our work just in terms of transactions and reporting would be to miss the reason that keeps us here.

As with all staff and volunteers at CFL, we have a responsibility to play our part in making sure everyone who comes into contact with Caring For Life experiences the Saviour’s love for them.

If we do not do this, then we fail the very people we claim to care for.