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Charity and not-for-profit

Our commitment to the sector

We help aspirational businesses of all sizes, charities and not-for-profit entities as well as many individuals.

Through our highly collaborative and constructive approach, we engage with our clients to help them meet their challenges head on.

We aspire to be the very best at what we do and are committed to challenging ourselves, both individually and collectively. A willingness to invest, be it our time, in our people, in services or technology, is a defining characteristic of UNW.

UNW is a leading independent firm of chartered accountants that delivers a wide range of accountancy and business advisory services to its clients.

T E W+44 (0)191 243 6000 enquiries@unw.co.uk www.unw.co.uk

At UNW, we understand that for many charitable organisations, their financial affairs are usually secondary to supporting beneficiaries and ultimately achieving their aims.

It is vital, however, to have the right governance, management information and systems in place to keep track of finances as it will not only impress commissioners and funders, and ensure compliance in this regulated sector, but also support the decision-making process and instil confidence in a well-governed organisation.

The charity and not-for-profit sector is hugely diverse and like any business, the needs and priorities will inevitably differ from one organisation to another. We have worked in the sector for several years and we have developed a range of services specifically tailored for charity and not-for-profit organisations.

Charity and not-for-profit

Our commitment to the sector

Some of our clients

Children’s Heart UnitFund (CHUF)

Outsourced accounting

Year-end financial compliance

Strategic review and business plan

Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS)

Business Systems Review

Corporate Tax

Statutory Audit

Academic Health Science Network (AHSN)

Accounting Systems Review

Payroll Advisory

Retained VAT advisors

Newcastle United FoundationStatutory Audit

Recruitment of Finance Director

VAT Advice

The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (NYCGB)

Statutory Audit

Mental Health ConcernPayroll Advisory

Group Structure Tax

Statutory Audit

Dementia CareFinancial Modelling

Newcastle CarersBudgeting

Year-end compliance andaccounts advisory

Seven StoriesStatutory Audit

Corporate Tax

Tyne HousingStatutory Audit

Accounting System review

Recruitment of Chief Executive

Board Appraisal.

The Sick Children’s TrustVAT and accounting advice

Statutory Audit

Durham CathedralVAT advisory

Statutory Audit

Corporate tax

Bespoke staff training and workshops

“As someone who sees many different management letters from auditors, I have been very impressed by the comprehensive and clear analysis of our accounts provided by UNW to the Cathedral.

This has been extremely helpful in helping readers of the accounts understand the reality underlying the figures, which could otherwise be hard to interpret as the result of the complexity of our structures.”

Paul ChandlerChair of Cathedral Council and Chair of Cathedral Audit Committee at Durham Cathedral

What they say about us

“UNW were the auditors in place when I joined The Sick Children’s Trust. I have now undergone two years of annual audits with them since I have been Head of Finance, while a VAT Partner has also provided VAT advice when requested.

UNW is always extremely helpful and approachable, and always endeavours to help in any way they can. They respond to queries in a timely manner and nothing seems to be too much trouble. They have been very flexible in terms of timings of the audit, timings of deliverables being due and general audit work. They are always a pleasure to work with.”

Ayelet FisherHead of Finance at The Sick Children’s Trust

“Cumbria Education Trust, and formerly William Howard Trust and school, have worked with UNW for a number of years.

The work they carry out is always of a high standard and we have always found them to be extremely helpful and approachable.

UNW’s communication at local and Trust Board level has been exemplary, and despite the distance from our head office and theirs this has never been a barrier to their staff attending meetings. I would highly recommend UNW.”

Lorrayne HughesChief Executive Officer at Cumbria Education Trust

“The UNW team is very generous with its time, knowledge and connections. We work with almost every department and each contact is very easy to work with, supportive and understanding.

CHUF has come a long way in the last two years. It has been an unbelievable journey for us and those around us. We couldn’t have made this significant progress without the help of UNW, who provided exactly the right support at the right time.”

Chris GrayChief Executive Officer at Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF)

Recent case study

UNW is a high flyer with GNAAS behind the scenesThe Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) is on call 365 days of the year, saving hundreds of lives each year by bringing specialist pre-hospital emergency treatment by helicopter to accidents and emergencies across the North.

On average, the charity is called to around 1,000 incidents every year from its bases at Teesside, Cumbria and satellite operation at Newcastle Airport, supporting people across the North East, Cumbria and North Yorkshire with a consultant-led trauma team.

Although GNAAS responds to calls from the North East, North West and Yorkshire Ambulance Services, it is a charity that depends solely on donations to operate. Since 2001, it has run the Great North Air Ambulance Trading Company (GNAAT), a wholly-owned subsidiary that collects clothes, recycles printer cartridges and old mobile phones, and collects office waste paper and documents for shredding. The profits from these activities all go towards supporting GNAAS’s vital work.

UNW was appointed as auditor for the charity and its trading subsidiary in 2013 following some initial consultancy work. Under separate arrangements the charity has also utilised the services of UNW employment tax and VAT specialists on an ad-hoc basis.

Deborah Lewis-Bynoe, Director of Charity Services at GNAAS, said: “UNW are well placed to provide advice and guidance to the charity and SME sector and we have been very happy with the expertise they have brought to our organisation.

“The UNW team are entirely supportive in their role and we look forward to our future working partnership.”

Anne Hallowell, Head of Charity and Not for Profit at UNW, has been working with GNAAS since the start of the charity’s relationship with UNW.

She said: “We were initially brought in to improve the management structure and control, whilst also looking at training the team. We worked on the systems and processes to improve the quality, and were then asked to take on the audit assignment.

“On the back of the work carried out, GNAAS recruited Deborah and it now has a much stronger management team in place.”

UNW works with around 40 charities of different sizes, providing support for vital back office functions.

Anne added: “We have varying degrees of involvement depending on the individual needs or the organisations with which we work, and are ideally placed to provide all of the specialist services that charity and not for profit entities require.

“GNAAS is one of the larger regional charities we work with but our service is tailored to charities of all sizes, from Durham Cathedral to The People’s Kitchen. It’s a pleasure helping them thrive.”

Anne Hallowell +44 (0)191 243 6237Head of Charity & Not-for-Profit Assurance Services annehallowell@unw.co.uk

Anne joined UNW as a senior manager in our audit and assurance department in 2013, after spending 7 years as finance manager for a local charity. Prior to this, she also spent 16 years as part of the national charity team at PwC.

Working across our growing portfolio of charity, not-for-profit, and academy school clients, her expertise cover a wide range of accounting, governance and funding services.

Anne holds the Diploma in Charity Accounting (DCHA), and was amongst the first to gain the qualification when it was introduced in the UK.

Charles Linaker +44 (0)191 243 6004Tax partner charleslinaker@unw.co.uk

A founding partner of UNW, Charles has specialised in tax for over 30 years, spending almost a decade as one of her Majesty’s Inspectors of Taxes in London and Oxford. He also spent 4 years as a senior manager with PwC.

He advises a range of corporate and personal clients, and has vast experience of dealing with HMRC investigations, including Civil Investigation of Fraud.

Charles is heavily involved in UNW’s growing charity client portfolio, and hosts regular briefings for those within the sector.

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Francesca Leslie +44 (0)191 243 6005Audit Manager francescaleslie@unw.co.uk

Fran joined UNW in 2014 after spending three years with KPMG.

She manages the audits of both charity and private sector clients, and works closely with Anne Hallowell in developing her expertise in the charity and not-for-profit sector.

Fran is also a trustee of a North East Charity.

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Meet the team

Mark Hetherington +44 (0)191 243 6073VAT partner markhetherington@unw.co.uk

Mark joined UNW as VAT partner in 2009 from PwC, and previously spent almost 14 years as a VAT Inspector for HMRC.

The only VAT partner in the region, Mark offers a wide range of advisory services and solutions for a client base that boasts varying business sizes and sectors.

Mark also regularly represents taxpayers at tax tribunals and appeals.

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UNW LLP, Citygate, St James’ Boulevard, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4JE

T E W+44 (0)191 243 6000 enquiries@unw.co.uk www.unw.co.uk

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A leading global association of independent accounting and business advisory firms representing the expertise of more than 160 member firms with over 500 offices in over 80 countries around the world.

UNW LLP is a Limited Liability Partnership which is registered in England & Wales with the number OC301800 and is regulated for a range of investment business activities by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Our registered office is Citygate, St James Boulevard, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4JE. A list of members is available for inspection at this address.

This publication has been prepared for general guidance on matters of interest only, and does not constitute professional advice. You should not act upon the information contained in this publication without obtaining specific professional advice. No representation or warranty (express or implied) is given as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this publication, and to the extent permitted by law, UNW LLP, its members, employees and agents do not accept or assume any liability, responsibility or duty of care for any consequences of you/or anyone else acting, or refraining to act, in reliance on the information contained in this publication or for any decision based on it.

In this document ‘UNW’ refers to UNW LLP, a limited liability partnership in the United Kingdom.