Commissioner Dr Gary Johns said the pandemic continues to test charities, the National Tribune reports.
“The pandemic is forcing much of the work of Australian charities online and reducing their ability to raise funds, engage volunteers and meet increased demands for services,” Dr Johns said.
“Despite these challenges, the sector showed great resilience and continued to deliver essential services through thousands of programs delivered by churches, schools, hospitals, and local charities across Australia. We are pleased to support the community’s trust and confidence in this vital sector.”
Several achievements were highlighted in the annual report. The Charity Register had more than 4.2 million searches —a sharp rise from 3.2 million the previous financial year, and a million the year before.
“In 2020-21 we implemented a new way for charities to provide information about their programs, and soon the Register’s search features will be enhanced to allow donors and supporters to easily find organisations doing the type of work they are interested in supporting, and to allow charities to showcase their incredible work,” Dr Johns said.
There was significant progress in the object to cut red tape for charities. In some situations, the ACNC allows a group of charities to submit a single Annual Information Statement. In 2020–21, it launched an online version of the Group Annual Information Statement form, reducing the reporting burden for almost 1,400 charities, and improving the quality of data.
Duplicated reporting requirements for charities that are fundraisers or incorporated associations in Western Australia were removed, and for charities that fundraise in Victoria, duplicated reporting requirements were removed, and a streamlined application process put in place.
FULL STORY
Surge in Charity Register use among significant achievements set out in ACNC annual report (National Tribune)
ACNC Annual Charities Report (7th Edition)
