14. Finance

• 14.18 14.19 14.20 14.21 14.22 14.23 14.24 14.25 14.26 14.27 14.28 14.29 14.30 14.31

Quaker Stewardship Committee

Area meetings are invited to accept help, guidance and active monitoring by the Quaker Stewardship Committee in order to meet the requirements of charity law. The committee will also cover general meetings, as defined in 5.02, and all other constituent meetings and other bodies which collectively form Britain Yearly Meeting. The committee may communicate by minute with all of these meetings and bodies. Advice on whether a body is included may be obtained from the Recording Clerk.

The aims of the Quaker Stewardship Committee are to support meetings in their stewardship of finance and property; encourage accountability, transparency and integrity in all our affairs and enable Friends to work with statutory bodies, such as those administering charity law, on issues that affect all meetings and their associated bodies.

The responsibilities of the committee shall be to:

a. support treasurers and trustees in the service of their meetings through the stewardship of their finance and property;

b. provide advice and guidance to meetings and other bodies within Britain Yearly Meeting;

c. ensure that education and training is available to treasurers, trustees, independent examiners of accounts and other Friends involved in finance and property matters;

d. help to ensure that every part of Britain Yearly Meeting is producing proper financial accounts and property registers;

e. certify the fulfilment of d. annually to the Yearly Meeting;

f. enable meetings to act within the laws relating to charities and trusts;

g. disseminate good practice;

h. liaise with the statutory and other external bodies (eg the Charity Commission) on issues that affect all meetings and their associated bodies and recommend to the Yearly Meeting any necessary changes in the umbrella arrangement or other matters affecting Friends' charitable status;

i. put relevant Quaker views to agencies and government departments, eg. the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, etc.

Terms of reference for the Quaker Stewardship Committee may be obtained on application to the Recording Clerk.

Next: 14.29