Registration Process Easy As Pie for Ronald McDonald House
Friday 28 March 2008
One charity that won't be missing out on the benefits of being a registered charity is Ronald McDonald House Trust Wellington, which received its certification in January.
"It came at a perfect time for us as we are just launching a major fundraising campaign to build a new home in Wellington," says Ronald McDonald House Chief Executive Lesley Slieker.
"I think the validity and transparency that registration has given us will be a real draw-card to potential donors," she says. "The tax changes will also encourage them to give."
Lesley, who applied online in June last year on behalf of the Trust, found the registration process so simple she initially thought she must have done something wrong.
"The forms looked a bit daunting at first but they took no time at all to fill out. I only had a couple of questions about certifying our trustees and the call centre answered these on the spot."
"All up, it took me about twenty minutes to complete the application, a few minutes to post off our constitution, and an email to our trustees to ensure they met the Commission's criteria.
She then received an electronic tag, which she used to track the application. After a quick phone call from the Commission to clarify a few points in January, their approval letter and certificate were in the mail.
"We were aware the Commission had a number of other applications to get through so we weren't worried we had been forgotten," says Lesley. "It is important applications are scrutinised properly so the public can be sure about the credibility of the charities registered.
The registered charity status will make a real difference to our organisation. The Commission has made it easy for charities to apply."