organisations associated with them. The Forum pays RichRob Associates Ltd for the services of Richard Williams who joined the Forum as CEO in mid-2020. In 2024 RichRob Associates Ltd invoiced the Forum £13,500 for these services12023.. £13,500) of which £3,250 was outstanding at the end of 2024. Professor Paul Palmer, a Trustee, is also an employee of Bayes Business School, City 5t George's, University of London and remains Associate Dean of the Centre For Charity Effectiveness at Bayes, which has provided administrative and catering services in the past. Nothing was pa id during the year under review.12023.. N ill. Bayes continued to provide a post box service to the Forum at an estimated value of £250, for which they received an Honorary Corporate membership. UBS, the Forum's major sponsor during most of 2024, hosted and presented a face-to-face event at a notional value of £500 in addition to their donation of £2,500. Until December 2024, Heather Lamont a Trustee of the Forum, was an employee of CCLA, a Corporate member of the Forum and latterly sponsor. 8. Debtors 2024 2023 Membership subscription5 £105 £260 9. Creditors under l year 2024 2023 New memberships and renewals received in advance Accounts payable and accruals 2,940 4,168 £7,108 1,130 4,403 £5,533 18
- Analysls of charitable expenditure Research Educatlon Total 2024 Total 2023 CEO time 4,500 7,203 4,500 4,500 5,700 Administrative support Bayes Business School - donated services and facilities 7,203 250 250 250 UBS- donated services and facilities 500 500 500 Support and Governance Inote 51 Total 7,218 £19,671 7,218 £19,671 7,856 £18,806 No research activities were undertaken during 2024.
- Analysis of support and governance costs General support Total 2024 Govemance 2023 Website 2,583 2,583 4,115 Software Licences 1,197 1,197 739 CEO time 2,250 2,250 2,250 I nsu rance for Trustees 120 120 120 Conference attendance 266 266 358 Member events 418 418 42 Sundry expenses 384 384 232 Totsl £ 4,848 £ 2,370 £ 7,218 £ 7,856
- Remuneration and expenses There was no fee for Independent Examination in 2024 or 2023. No remuneration was paid to any of the Trustees durinE the year. The Forum ha5 no employees. Expenses of £65012023: £6891 were incurred by one Trustee, relating to costs incurred on behalf of the Forum,. of this, £247 remained unpaid at the year-end and is included i n creditors12023.. £2191
- Related party transactions Having no employees, the Forum receives support from its Trustees, supporters and the 17
(d) Expenditure recognition Liabilities are recogni5ed as expend iture as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expend itu re, it is probable that settlement will be required, and the amou nt of the obligation can be measured reliably. All expenditure is accou nted for on an accruals basis. (e) Irrecoverable VAT The Forum is not registered for VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is charged against the expenditure heading for which it Was incurred. (fj Allocation of support costs Other than the allocation of the CEO'S time to fundraising, support costs relate to the main charitable activity of education. (g) Cost of generatlng funds The cost of raising funds consists of the CEO'S time in meeting existing and potential donors and members. {h) Charitable artivities The cost of charitable activities includes CEO time, governance costs and support Costs. 2. Taxation The charity is exempt from direct taxation on its income and gains where they are applied for charitable purposes. No tax charges have arisen, 3. Trading Incorne Trading income comprises annual subscriptions received from individual and corporate members 2024 2023 Individual members and advertising vacancies Corporate members 11,595 11,305 13,750 12,700 £25,345 £24,lJ)5 16
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 l. Accounting policies The principal accounting policies are summarised below. The accounting policies havebeen applied consistently throughout the year. {a) Basis of preparation and assessment of going concern The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notelsl to these accounts. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice.. Accounting and Reporting by Charitie5 preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the U K and Republic of Ireland IFRS 1021 issued on 16 July 2014 and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republicof Ireland IFRS 1021 and the CharitiesAct 2011. The Forum constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the Forum's ability to continue as a going concern. Ib} Funds structure Unrestricted income funds comprise those funds which the Trustees are free to use for any purpose in furtherance of the charitable objects. Restricted fu nds are su bjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal. There are no restricted funds. Icl I ncome recognition All i ncome is recognised once the cha rity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliablv. The following specific pol icies are applied to particu lar categories of income: Income received by way of grants, donations and gifts is included in full in the Statement of Fina ncial Activities when receivable. Annual membership income receivable from individual and corporate members is treated as trading income. Annual memberships received in advance are accounted for as deferred income. Membersjoining in the final three months of a calendar year receive free membership benef its unti I the end of that year and pay in advance for the following year. Gift aid reclaimable on donations to the charity is included with the amount received. Donated services and facilities a re included at the value to the charity where this can be q uantif led, and the amou nt is material. The value of services provided by volu nteers is not incorporated into these f inancial statements. Further details of the contribution made by volunteers can be found in the Trustees, Annual Report. 15
THE HONORARYTREASURERS FORUM BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2024 2024 2023 Note CUnt assets Debtors 105 260 Cash at bank and in hand 34,480 24,658 Current Ilabilities Cred itors falllng due within one year {7, 1081 15,5331 TOTAL NET ASSETS £27,477 £19,385 The funds of the charlty Unrestricted funds 27,477 19,385 TOTAL CHARITY FUNDS £27,477 £19.385 Approved by the Trustees on: Date: 8 ju 2025 and s18ned on thelr behalf ru Gordon {Chairm 14
THE HONORARYTREASURERS FORUM STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL AcfiviTIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 Unrestrlcted Funds Unrestrirted Funds Total 2024 2024 2023 Note Incomlng resources Donations 8,750 8,750 3,250 Trading income Bank Interest received 25,345 25,345 24,005 418 418 24 Totsl incomlng resources Resources expended Cost of Generating Funds Charitable Activities: 34,513 34,513 27,279 6,750 6,750 6,750 Research Education 19,671 19,671 18.806 Totsl resources expended 26,421 26,421 25.556 NEf INCOMING RESOURCES 8,092 8,092 1,723 Total funds brought fornard 19,385 19,385 17,662 TOTAL FUNDS C4RRIED FORWARD £27,4TI £27,477 £19,385 13
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRusfEES OF THE HONORARY TREASURERS FORUM CHARITY REG15TRAMON NUMBER: 1118802 I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accountg of the Honorary Tr@2surers Forum forthe year ended 31" December 2024 which are set out on pages 13 to 18. Responsibllltles and basls of report As the charity Trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts In accordance with the requirements of the Charities Att 20111"the Act"}. I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts, carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Direttions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515llbl of the Att. Independent examlnerfs ststement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connettion with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act; or the accounts did not accord with the accountin8 records; or the accounts did not compSy with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities {Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts 8ive a 'true and fairf view which 6 not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in orderto enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached, Slgned.. Date: 8 July 2025 Name: Simon Mollett Relevant professional quallflcatlon5: ACA Address: 2, Branstone Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3LB 12
TRUSTEES, RESPONSIBILITIES IN RELATION TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS The charity Trustees are responsible for preparin8 a Trustees, Annual Report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kin8dom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice}. The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the charity Trustees to prepare financial statements for each year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of reSoUrs, of the charity forthat period. In preparSng the financial statements. the Trustees are required to.. select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently observe the methods and principles in the applicable Charities SORP make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures that must be disclosed and explained in the financial statements prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business The Trustees are responsible for keepin8 proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the CharitiesAct 2011. the applicable Charities {Accounts and Reports) Regulations, and the provisions of the Trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity's website in accordance with legislation in the United Kingdom 8overnin8 the preparation and dissemination of financial statements. Approved by the Trustees on: Date.. 8 July 2025 and si ed on thelr behalf by: ruce Gordon, OBE (Ch man) li
We will explore the possibi lity of working collaboratively and in partnership with a suitable charity which shares ou r va lues and aspirations. In order to ensure the ongoing financia I sustaina bility of the Forum we will raise our membership fees by over40¥0 to £50 for individuals and by 20% to £600 for corporate members. This is the first increase for over 5 years and still represents good value as the number of events has increased, from 4 in person events to 9 virtual and two in person events and now includes the much-valued WhatsApp group, and 6 email newsletters. We will welcome 4 new corporate members to mitigate the risk of any current corporate members resign i ng. We aim to continue to improve our digital profile, to grow the WhatsApp group and our Linkedln profile and to explore the use of other social media. With this in mind, we intend to Use online surveys to understand our members, need5 better, to implement 3 membership management system that can be integrated with our accounts software and website and to manage our website even more effectively. With additional administrative support we will focus on taking forward more strategic developments including membership campaigning and more collaboration with like-minded infrastructure organisations. We will look to source funding to develop the website and continue to look for sponsorship to help publish a revised, updated and digitally accessible Treasurers, Handbook. These are ambitious aims and are very much subject to the availability of resources, both people and financial. Given the f inite resources available, th ree of 2024's objectives have not yet been achieved.. Working with federated charities to encourage membership. Placing pro bono adverts in sector news media. Developing relationships with foundations and other potential funders to subsidise the f irst year for some individual members, allowing us to reach out to Treasurers from less advantaged groups a nd charities, as well as to develop our IT inf rastructure. We intend to make more progress on these areas in the coming years, and they are included aspirationally in our 2025 plan. To achieve our 2025 objectives, the Forum needs to maintain and develop the current, more sustainable, funding mix including membership fees, corporate member income, sponsorship, grant funding and individual donations. MEMBERSHIP OF THE FORUM The Forum is open to those who currently, in the recent past, or expect in the near future to, take on the important role of Treasurer in a charity. Anyone wishing to join the Forum should contact us by email at: info@honorarytreasurers.org.uk. io
immediate, and valuable way for members to ask questions, raise challenges, and share a range of advice and opinions in a confident121 way with fellow practitioners. Numerous topics have been discussed, reflecting the ongoing concerns about banks, returns on investment and, of course, the perennial subject of reserves. During the year there has also been a focus on related party transactions, def icit budgets, benchmarking salaries, VAT, un restricted and restricted funds and a whole host of other topics, highlighted in the newsletters throughout 2024. The size and frequency of our member e-mail newsletter was maintained and goes out every six weeks,. a redacted version without the links to online resources now reaches over 1,600 supporters, from whom new members are also drawn. The feedback from our members is that the Links to online resources are the most valuable element of the newsletter. Trustees and member volunteers have represented the Forum at several events and provide expertise at seminars and round tables. The Chairman, Trustees and the Chief Executive are very pleased that our membership has been mai ntained and that consequently we are still in a good financial position. Despite the economic uncertainties and the limitations of our finite resource the number of Treasurers and Chairs of Finance Committees contacting us is still nearly 350 and member engagement is positive. We are optimistic that in the future we will maintain the level of membership with enhanced services, invitation lunches, and events that will i m prove our reputation and prof i le. FUTURE PLANS Our plans for 2025 are.. to continue the hybrid programme of physical and virtual event5, to maintain and grow the engagement of members, to increase our campaigningfunction, to collaborate more closely with charities who sha re our values and aspirations, to i ncrease our ind ividual and corporate membership fees for the f irst time in 5 years, to grow both our individual and corporate membership modestly in light of the proposed increase in subscription fees,. and to continue to develop an effective membership system and digital presence. We plan to run up to 11 events including two in-person in June and October. Such face-to-face events would be hosted by our sponsor and a corporate member. In addition, we will offer our members, lunch and training events in partnership with some of our corporate members. We intend to develop new services for members including distributing 311 Zoom event recordings to members and to explore the development of a members only element of the website. We wish to workwith others to re-run a "Count me in" type campaign and to attract more financially skilled ind ividuals into becoming treasu rers. or financially focussed trustees.
terms of three or two terms of three years which leads to some natural drop off, but our retention rate was still above 90%. Individu31 members paid the modest annual subscription of £35 in 2024, which is recognised as good value for money. Our mailing l 1st stabilised at over 1,900, due to the ongoing relevance and interest in the Treasurer5' Handbook, but also thanks to the free Treasurer advertisement facility on our website and the frequent member and non-member newsletters. We now carry over 35 Treasurer opportunities each month, some of which result in new members joining. The small fee to Charity recruiters was increased to £50 and has had limited take up but still helps us to publicise the Foru m. We have collaborated with several other small infrastructure bodies during the year, helping to increase our profile. We piloted a successful mentoring programme for new treasurers with Charterpath and worked together on the Count Me In digital campaign during Trustees, week to attract more f inancial professionals to become treasurers. Working together with Reach Volunteering, Getting on Board, Embrace, Charterpath, Action for Trustee Racial Diversity and Charity Intelligence we managed to enhance our impact and provided a cost-effective way of recruiting new members. Appearances at events such as the ICAEW Big Trustee Breakfast and attendances at sector conferences by Trustees and the CEO have kept our profile high. During the year. we progressed our research to verify the size of the charities our membership support; this is still slower than planned, due to the limited availability of volunteers and our capacity to support them in the work. Using the initial research as the basis, we can confirm that, at the very least, individual members support more than 780 charities. For us, in common with other umbrella charities, 2024 was once again a challenging year as we dealt with rising costs and inf lation, but despite th is. our hybrid events programme was successful, and we became more digital in our communicatlDns. At the end of the year, we had 407 followers on Linkedln and had made over 80 posts and reposts. By using the CEO'S well established Linkedln profile with 3,500 connections we reposted all the posts on the HonoraryTreasurers Forum Linkedln page and reposted corporate member posts to provide added value for their annual subscription. We also repost on several other Linkedln pages to give us greater reach - to over 40,000 contacts. We are very grateful to our long-term sponsor UBS, who decided that 2024 was their last year, and to our new sponsor CCLA, both of whom provided important support to the Forum, to our members and to the large and small charities they support. A highlight in early summer was an excellent lunch with 3 select group of members, followed by our Summer reception h05ted by our corporate member Cazenove and then in October by CCLA'S first annual in-person event entitled "Toolbox for Ch3nge'_ A Better World, not just a better portfolio" which was much appreciated by our members. The Corporate Membership programme has also developed and diversified. By December 2024, de5Plte two resignations, we were proud to have 31 corporate members, all of whom are featured on ourwebsite and who help the Forum to support our members by bringing a wide range of sector expertise, knowledge and advice. The event calendar increasingly draws on corporate members, who all operate in areas of relevance to charity treasurers and share their expertise on topical subjects. Thanks to the generous support of CCLA our new main sponsor, to UBS and the corporate members, the Forum's WhatsApp Group continued to grow, reaching 213 members at the end of the year, with most new members choosing to take part. The WhatsApp group continues to be a vibrant,
ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS We start this review by congratulating two of our Trustees, Bruce Gordon and David Rowe, on the award of OBE. Bruce's was announced in the New Yearfs Honours List in January 2024 for services to charity, and David's in His majesty the King's Birthday honours in June, for his service to the Armed Forces Community. Amongst his many achievements, as a founding Trustee Bruce has supported the Forum since its inception, and David, in add ition to the Foru m, is also a Trustee of 5SAFA. The Forum's 2024 hybrid event programme consisted of 11 events with nine online and two physical meetings in London. The hybrid events model means the Forum appeals to a much wider geographical and diverse membership than it has done in the past. It is testament tothe trustees, our CEO and 2dministrator that, given finite resources, we have maintained th is high level of activity. Most events had an average of 30 attendees and some over twice that number. Given the accessibility of online seminars, and their attraction for members from a much wider geographical and younger audience, we continued to build on this in 2024. The events and seminars hosted on Zoom and face-to-face, with active participation by attendees, were as follows.. January- Novo-K- Zoom event-"CyberThreat Within the Supply Chain. February- Evelyn & Partners- Zoom event - "Charities Investment update & Cyber Security." March- Ecclesiastical & givestar- Zoom event- 'The age of uncertainty.. how charities can manage risk in a volatile landscape. April- RSM Zoom'Trading subsidiaries-The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." May- Latitude - Zoom event- 'The Risk of Taking Too Little Risk., June- UtilityAid-Zoom event-"Managing Rising Energy Costs & Starting yourjourney to Net Zero." July- Cazenove- In person event-"Summer Reception and Market Update" September- Grant Thornton - Zoom event- "Preparing for change.. how the revision of FRS102 will impact cha rities." October- CCLA- In person event - 'Toolbox for Change'_ A Better World, not just a better portfolio." November- Sayer Vincent- Zoom event- "Presenting financial information to non- f i nancial trustees. December~ CAF Charitie5 Aid Foundation - Zoom event "Storytelling & Finance - Getting your charity ready to apply forfunding/finance. The feedback for the events has been very positive despite numbers attending having varied, with up to 20% of members attending some, a high level for on-line events. As the Chairman notes in his review, our CEO Richard has maintained the strategies for events and for attracting new corporate members. I ndividual membership fell back a little to 346. Good governance suggests that Trustees have fixed
Total resources expended were £26,42112023.' £25,556}, including a modest payment of £13,500 under contractto the Forum's part-time Chief Executive. Most other costs relateto maintenance and updating of the website and to administrative support. The combined cost of website maintenance and administrative support reduced slightly, which in a year of transition and additional costs associated with the ha ndover was less tha n anticipated. The financial statements show a surplus of £8,09212023.. £1,7231, reflecting the receipt of two sponsorships in the year and the completion of the transfer of administration sUPPOrt. As with other membership organisations working on an annual cycle, all recurring income falls due at the beginning of the year, so cashflow is easy to predict. The Forum'5 bankers are the Co-operative Bank, reflecting a high standard of corporate responsibility. RISK The Trustees have actively considered the risks to which the Forum was exposed during 2024 a nd are satisfied that systems, includ ing appropriate internal controls, are in place to minimise or mitigate them. A risk register is actively maintained and reviewed in detail annually: the major risks and their inter-relationships being monitored at the intervening Trustee Meetings using a risk map. Risks considered include loss of income or key personnel, who are considered to be the administrator and CEO. Although the ad ministrative team is small, roles can be covered in the case of absence, which also improves internal control. We are in the process of documenting our revised administrative procedures to ensure that they are robust. The continuing surplus in 2024 allowed reseNes to build further. RESERVES POLICY At the end of 2024 reserves, all of which were unrestricted, stood at £27,477,12023.. £19,385). Before the Covid pandemic the Trustees reviewed reserves policy and at that stage agreed that reserves should continue to be maintained at between three and six-months, operating expenditure- this would allow all planned Forum meetings in a normal yearto be fulfilled, which is still the case. Reserves now sit above the top of the current range. Trustees have been considering a designation of reserves to apply to one of the many projects which have been identified but not started due to resource constraints. Given the proposed recruitment of new Trustees in 2025, other opportunities may emerge. It is likely that plans for continuing expansion, improvements in operational efficiency and su pporting IT inf rastructure will involve the expenditure of some reserves. Until then, reserves continue to be held as cash. With minimal working capital requirements from such a low overhead model, the Trustees considerthat the reserves level provides a sound basis from which to develop the Forum further, especially given the continued positive outlook for income in 2025.
matters. Members pay a small annual fee, which rose from £35 to £50 for new members joining after l October 2024. Attendance at the Forum meetings, either digitally or in person, continued to be free in 2024. The Forum actively helps charities to maximise use of their resources and make a greater impact for all their beneficiaries, and we are active in the Charity Community. FINANCIAL REVIEW The Forum has always had a simple operating model, with few outgoings, and does not undertake activities unless they are funded in advance. Accounting records are kept using Xero and annual invoicing has improved control over billing and debtors. Earlier years, financial reviews have reported how the income generation strategy moved steadily towards less reliance on major sponsors to more effective engagement with Corporate Members, combined with an increase in general membership. In 2024 the positive momentum was maintained, with only a small turnover in Corporate Member numbers, and an overall increase. During the year UBS concluded their major sponsorship, but before the end of the year CCLA stepped in, so we were in the fortunate position to received two sponsorships in one year. This meant that we recorded a surplus of over £8,000. In common with other membership bodies, dealing with renewals has been an issue. For the Forum, it is not just a matter of income, as we use email to disseminate information, newsletters and invitations to events. A change in treasurer can mean that we lose touch with a charity, the first indication of which may be that they do not pay the invoice. If we are able to re-engage either with the individual or the charity, this helps with retention. The nature of treasurership is that it is often a time-limited role, but the retention rate is still extremely high. Our events continue to remain on-line, a model which allows coststo be contained. Becoming much more digitallyfocused organisation has increased the number of online events offered free to members with only a modest increase in website costs. The two face-to-face events in 2024 were hosted by CCLA and Cazenove at no cost to the Forum, and Cazenove and CCLA also provided venues for the two trustee meetings held in person. Reported in more detail under Achievements and Activities, the website continues to be a key marketing tool and resource for members. As planned, the maintenance and hosting of the website was brought in-house half way through the year, thanks to our multi-skilled administrator Roz. This has already allowed us to refurbish the website, to be more responsive to updates such as the popular Treasurer vacancy board, and upload resources such as material from events more promptly. The Statement of Fina ncial Activities is set out on page 13. Total income of £34,51312023.. £27,279) comprises corporate and individual memberships and the two major sponsorship from UBS and CCLA which have the nature of a donation, lor in SORP parlance a non-exchange transaction), so are accounted for when received. Membership income is stated, as usual. after deferring amounts billed to new members who joined after l October 2024. As an incentive to join, even if late in the year, our policy is to extend new memberships to cover the fol lowing calendar year,. to avoid accounti ng complexity this income is deferred in Donations also incl ude notional amounts to reflect the equivalent cost of support provided to the Forum, as set out in note 4. In 2024, the first full year of outsourcing administration to Roz Bott's business, these costs had reduced so now only comprise a post restante address provided by Bayes èusiness School's Centre For Charity Effectiveness and the event provided by UBS (in addition to their generous sponsorship). a total of £75012023.. £750).
TRusfEE ANNUAL REPORT STRucfuRE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT th The HonoraryTreasurers Forum is a charity governed by a Trustee Deed dated 19 March 2007. Its objett is,. "to odvance the education in financial manogement of those who ore re5ponsiblefor those looking after charitie5'finonce5," Membership of the Forum is open to all Treasurers and those Trustees principally responsible for finance matters in their charities. The organisation structure of the Forum is simple. The Trust Deed requires there to be at least three Trustees and no more than ten. At the end of 2024 we had five Trustees supported by a part- time Chief Executlve and a small number of volunteers. The Trustees meet routinely as a Board at least four times a year, when strategic decisions are taken, minutes approved, and other routine business dispatched. Attendance is usually 100%. This year we were able to meet again in person for two of the four meetings. Trustees are recruited and appolnted by the Board and reflect the range of skills. knowledge and experience required to run the Forum effectively. All the Forum's Trustees are eitherTreasurers in their own right or work closely with the Treasurers or Directors of Finance in Charities. The normal term of office for3 Trustee is three years, butTrustees can be reappointed and serve up to a further five terms. Induction is given to all new Trustees including briefin8 meetings with the CEO and Chair on roles and responsibilities and an oveNiew of theTrust deed. the decision-making processes, the strategic implementatlon plan, policies and recent financlal performance of the Forum, PUBLIC BENEFIT The Trustees confirrn that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commissioners, general guidance on public benefit, "Charities and Public Beneflt" The Trustees ensure the chariws purpose is carried out for the public benefit by delivering services that are valued by members and promote strong financial management and control. SeNices include members, meetings and onllne events, regular email newsletters, a WhatsApp group, the website with online resources. research and engagement with the sector into aspects of finance in charities, hosting a Treasurer vacancy board, and general networking. The Forum is open to all Trustees: those who currentFy. in the recent pagt, or expect in the near future to take on the important role of a Treasurer in a charity orto have responsibility for financial
still support over 780 charities Wlth over 50% of these having an income of over £lm. Corporate membership is important and matches the individual membership income. Individual membership. corporate membership and the vital UBS and CCLA sponsorships help us to provide much appreclated support and advice to our vibrant community of members. Member and non-member newsletter circulation was maintained at 1,900 subscriber5 and we have progressed the collection of more data on the reach, impact, size and geographical location of the Forum members. Richard Williams, CEO, managed the Forum and we made progress in several areas including the start of the implementation of a membership system, bringing ourwebsite in-house, and increasing collaboration with other organisations. He receives a modest payment for his services which does not reflect the additional time he spends, as a volunteer, enabling the Forum to maintain its activity. We estlmate that at his usu31 rate this would have, as in prior years, amounted to an additional £io.000. I would like to thank my fellow Trustees and volunteers for the time, help and support they have given the Forum and give special thanks to Graham Spoonerwho retired as a trustee after extending his term to help us weather Covid. I would especially like to thank N icola Silverleaf, our Treasurer, and Roz Bott, our administrator, who has started the delivery of the aforementioned membership system and who manages the website. If it weren't for their enthusiasm and loyalty much of the progress to date wouldn't be possible. I would also like to thank Richard Williams for his comm'tment and support in maintaining the Forum and driving it forward. 8ruce Gordon, OBE Chairman 8 July 2025
CHAIRMAN'S OVERVIEW The Honorary Treasurers Forum is still the primary source of professional development and sharing of ideas, challenges and solutions for Treasurers and Chairs of Finance Committees. The Forum is the only organisation that focusses wholly on the needs of those Trustees who assist directly in financial matters, supporting them to enhance their confidence and helping them to be better at what they do. The Forum has maintained its delivery of a hybrid events programme and has dealt effectively with increased costs and inflation. The WhatsApp group has grown to become a vital membership benefit and remains an increasingly valued communication channel and our Linkedln presence has increased in scope and reach, enhancing our reputation in both the charity sector and to businesses delivering products a nd services to charities. 2024 has again been a year of consolidation and modest growth in some areas. The additional support provided by our part-time administrator Roz Bott continues to prove vital in enhancing our relationship with individual and corporate members. During the year we held eleven events overall. with nine virtual online events and two face to face. We distributed eight six-weekly email newsletters providing information, access to resou rces and practical support to Treasurers in their role. The WhatsApp group now has 213 members, a 43% increase from 2023, engaging over 60% of our individual membership. Our website is still an important resource, with access to the popular Treasurer's handbook for new treasurer5 and non- members,. it also promotes publicly available presentations, or summaries of previous events. We provided recordings of online events to all members and have managed to contain our costs despite the increased activity. The Linkedln Forum page, which was launched in August 2023, had grown by the end of 2024 by 600A to 407 followers and we made over 80 posts and reposts during the year. We reposted using the CEO'S Linkedln profile of over 3,500 connections, publicising many corporate member and sponsor posts. We also repost on other Linkedln pages which have more followers, including Charity u K, Charity I ntelligence a nd Charterpath, amongst others, potentially reaching over 40,000 contacts. During the year we piloted a small, successful, mentoring programme for new treasurers with Charterpath and during Trustees, Week, highlighted the Count Me In campaign along with Reach Volunteering, Charterpath, Action for Trustee Racial Diversity and Embrace. The Forum's contribution was modest, but we had over 1,000 impressions and may have reached more than 75,000 individuals through the partners, and our corporate supporters. We are extremely grateful for the final sponsorship from UBS who, after 15 years of supporting us, decided that 2024 was their13St year. We were pleased to welcome CCLA as our new sponsor and are very grateful for their support. We also much appreciate the 31 corporate members, all of whom are listed on our website and whose support, alongside individual members, subscriptions, enables the Forum to maintain financial sustainability. Corporate member events, training and white papers feature regularly in our six-weekly member and non-member email newsletters and are really appreciated,. corporate members ran both of our virtual and face-to-face events. We are also especially grateful to the speakers who gave their time and expertlse and without whom we wouldn't be abse to provide such a successful and interesting programme of events. Membership at 346 wasjust marginally less than the 350 at the end of 2023. the members in turn
TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT For the year ended 31st December 2024 REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Name: The Honorary Treasurers Forum (Yhe Forurrf) Charity Registration Number: 1118802 Trustees: BRUCE GORDON, OBE, CHAIRMAN HEATHER LAMONT PROFESSOR PAUL PALMER DAVID ROWE, OBE NICOL4 SILVERLEAF, TREASURER Chief Executive: RICHARD WILLIAMS Principal OfPice and Administrative Address: c/0 CENTRE FOR CHARITY EFFECTIVENESS BAYES BUSINESS SCHOOL CIVST GEORGE'S 106 BUNHILL ROW LONDON ECIY 8TZ Independent Examiner: SIMON MOLLETT, PhD, ACA (Re-appointed 16 April 2025) Bankers: THE CO-OPERATIVE BANK
The Honorary TreasLLrers ForLLm ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2024