Susan Robinson, Accounts and Audit Partner and Head of Charities and Not for Profit at accountants and business advisers Kreston Reeves has been appointed Chair of the Association of Charity Independent Examiners (ACIE), the professional body which represents people who carry out independent examinations.
Susan will lead a Board of Trustees who comprise a mixture of professional accountants, voluntary independent examiners and people from other backgrounds.
Independent Examination (in England and Wales) is the scrutiny of smaller charities (with annual incomes less than £1m or more than £250,000 and assets more than £3,26m) where an audit is not required. Charities with income under £25,000 do not need to have an independent examination by law but they can elect to do so. In Scotland, unless an audit is required, all charities with income below £500,000 require Independent Examination. The role of the examiner is to provide an independent scrutiny of the accounts which helps maintain public confidence and trust in charities.
Membership of ACIE is achieved through various stages of assessment, providing evidence of knowledge and understanding of charity accounting and practical examples of Independent Examinations carried out.
Susan Robinson comments: “I’m delighted to have become Chair of ACIE, having previously been the Vice-Chair. Independent Examination encompasses a core set of knowledge and skills which members bring to the charities they are working with and advising. Charities are facing an incredibly difficult period at the moment as they adapt to operate with COVID-19. It is essential to ensure they are accurately accounting for and reporting their finances to maintain the public’s trust that the donations they are making along with the assets held by a charity are being used effectively and in accordance with the charity’s principles.”
◗ More information about ACIE can be found at www.acie.org.uk
◗ Kreston Reeves is hosting a webinar on 9 September in partnership with Thomson Snell and Passmore which will cover charity survival strategies in a COVID era.
Find out more and register your place at www.krestonreeves.com/webinars.
