2023-04-05-accounts

Financial Year 2022/2023

Administrative details

Shift Nation Registered number: 1165932 Office: 15 Bushey Road, Croydon, CR0 8EW

Trustees:

Miss Precious Omoregie (Secretary) Miss Mia Louise Skelly Mr Robert Andrew Colvin Miss Heather McCormick Mr Rowan Alexander Kelsey Jackson-Smith (Treasurer)

Website: www.shift-uk.com

Bank: CAF Bank Ltd, Kings Hill, West Malling, ME19 4TA.

Structure, governance and management

The charity is a CIO and was registered on 8 March 2016. All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity. Any expenses reclaimed from the charity are set out in the notes to the accounts.

Appointment of charity trustees

Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee is appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.

In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.

Information for new charity trustees

The charity trustees make available to each new charity trustee, on or before his or her first appointment:

• a. a copy of the current version of the constitution of the CIO; and

• b. a copy of the CIO’s latest Trustees’ Annual Report and statement of accounts.

Financial Year 2022/2023

Retirement and removal of charity trustees

A charity trustee ceases to hold office if he or she:

• a. retires by notifying the CIO in writing (but only if enough charity trustees will remain in office when the notice of resignation takes effect to form a quorum for meetings);

• b. is absent without the permission of the charity trustees from all their meetings held within a period of six months and the trustees resolve that his or her office be vacated;

• c. dies;

• d. in the written opinion, given to the company, of a registered medical practitioner treating that person, has become physically or mentally incapable of acting as a director and may remain so for more than three months;

• e. is disqualified from acting as a charity trustee by virtue of sections 178-180 of the Charities Act 2011 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that provision).

Any person retiring as a charity trustee is eligible for reappointment. A charity trustee who has served for three consecutive terms may not be reappointed for a fourth consecutive term but may be reappointed after an interval of at least one year.

Decision-making

Any decision may be taken either:

a. at a meeting of the charity trustees; or

b. by resolution in writing or electronic form agreed by all of the charity trustees, which may comprise either a single document or several documents containing the text of the resolution in like form to each of which one or more charity trustees has signified their agreement.

Delegation of charity trustees

The charity trustees may delegate any of their powers or functions to a committee or committees, and, if they do, they shall determine the terms and conditions on which the delegation is made. The charity’s trustees may at any time alter those terms and conditions, or revoke the delegation.

This power is in addition to the power of delegation in the General Regulations and any other power of delegation available to the charity trustees, but is subject to the following requirements:

• a. A committee may consist of two or more persons, but at least one member of each committee must be a charity trustee;

• b. The acts and proceedings of any committee must be brought to the attention of the charity trustees as a whole as soon as is reasonably practicable; and

• c. The charity trustees shall from time to time review the arrangements, which they have made for the delegation of their powers.

Financial Year 2022/2023

Financial review

• In the financial year ending April 2022, the charity held cash funds at bank of £41,325. This reduced to £28,511 during this financial year. This was due to a combination of a reduction in regular donations as well as Shift running its largest event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic without charging for tickets.

• The sole public event held during the financial year was a celebration of 10 years of the Shift movement. It created space to reflect on and celebrate the impact and relationships built over this time, to grieve over the loss of the founder Caleb Meakins in February 2020, and to inspire fresh vision and hope for what the future of Shift could bring. There were 212 attendees as well as a guest speaker, Steve Morris, who has been a friend of Shift over the years and spoken at several Shift events. The history and vision of Shift was also shared through a panel of core members of the Shift community and a plenary talk.

• There was reduced activity in the 2021/2022 financial year due to COVID restrictions on large gatherings being in place which meant that spending was suppressed below usual levels at £1,509. Expenditure increased in this current financial year (2022/2023), principally due to the running of the 10-year celebration event, to £17,250. Regular giving reduced from £6,076 to £4,396 due to both the reduced activity and engagement Shift has been able to undertake over the course of the pandemic as well as the cost of living crisis beginning to take its toll. The result is that cash funds at bank stand at £28,511 as of the end of the financial year.

• The trustees are mindful of these reserves and consider that the charity is well placed to pursue its objects and return to full-scale events with capacity at pre-pandemic levels in the next financial year. As of December 2023, the first post-pandemic, full scale Shift Weekend had been successfully held in July and the first post-pandemic Shift New Years Eve event had been planned with tickets on sale.

Public benefit statement

When planning activities for the year, the trustees ensure they have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charities Commission (including but not limited to):

• Public Benefit: the public benefit requirement (September 2013)

• Public Benefit: running a charity (September 2013)

• Public Benefit: reporting (September 2013)

• The Advancement of Religion for the Public Benefit (December 2008)

• The Prevention or Relief of Poverty for the Public Benefit (December 2008)

• • CC15b – Charity Reporting and Accounting: The essentials (January 2013)

The majority of events are open to the public and are publicised on our website and/or via social media and by emailed announcements. Those connected to the charity are encouraged to invite friends, as it is a key aim of Shift to attract newcomers into its various activities so that they can participate in and benefit from all that it has to offer.

Financial Year 2022/2023

Objectives and activities

The objects of the charity are to advance the Christian religion for the benefit of the public through the holding of prayer meetings, lectures, religious festivals, producing literature and media on Christianity to enlighten others, especially but not exclusively young adults in the 20/30 age group, about the Christian religion.

Achievement and performance

The last few years have brought a number of major shocks and changes to the environment Shift is trying to serve in:

• The UK has been responding to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with major restrictions in place between March 2020 and February 2022.

• The last 2 years have been a time of grief and adjustment for the Shift team and community since the passing of the founder and a trustee of Shift, Caleb Meakins, in February 2020.

• The Shift movement turned 10 years old in 2022 meaning the original core team and community have been entering their early thirties with the changing responsibilities and priorities that often accompany that time.

• The cost of living crisis is impacting people’s wellbeing as well as their ability to support charities financially.

• The way people are engaging with institutions, including churches and charities, has been changing. This is often characterised by a reduced sense of commitment to these institutions linked to a reduced belief in their ability to play a meaningful role in the daily challenges they face in day-to day life. Attendance at conferences and events has also not recovered to pre-pandemic levels which may be indicative of more long-term changes to how people want to engage in community.

With this context the last couple of years have been a time of incubation for the Shift team members as they have engaged with the changes and challenges in their own lives as well as considering the impact on the wider Shift and Christian community.

In 2022 a few important steps were taken to try and ensure Shift can fulfil its mission for another decade in helping those in their 20-30s be captivated by God and impact culture. These steps included:

• Each member of the core team considering what role and level of time they will be able to commit to moving forwards. This led to a few people deciding it was time to step back from a formal commitment as well as a few new people being invited in.

• The core team meeting more regularly again, getting closer to pre-pandemic rhythms, with a focus on running an event in the year for the benefit of the Shift community as well as discussing what a new strategy and vision for Shift would look like going forwards.

• Hosting an event to celebrate 10 years of Shift which was the largest event Shift has run since the start of the pandemic with 212 attendees. This event was free for attendees, partly as a thank you gesture for the 10 years of support given by many of the attendees, but also in recognition that this event was an important time to re-engage the community and would act as a litmus test for what people might want from Shift going forwards.

Financial Year 2022/2023

Over the period, we have been delighted to attract donations (both regular giving and one-off donations) amounting to £4,396. While these are lower than in the previous year, our healthy reserves provide Shift with a secure platform from which to consider the future activities and organisational structure of Shift.

Future plans

As mentioned above, Shift has already resumed running its two core events, the Shift Weekend Away and Shift New Years Eve in the 2023-24 financial year. In addition to this, a new vision and strategy (in line with the charity’s objects) is currently being developed by the core team in consultation with the trustees. Once established this document will help the core team and trustees set out future plans with a clear set of goals and measures of success.

Financial Year 2022/2023

Shift Nation

Financial Statement for the Year ended 5 April 2023

Charity Commission number: 1165932

Notes on Accounting Approach:

• The period summarised here was the first full year without restrictions on large gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• This period includes donations made to Shift Nation to support its work.

• The basis of accounting selected is the ‘Receipts and Payments’ method.

• An independent examination of these accounts has been completed and after approval of the Board they will be submitted to the Charity Commission.

Notes in respect of Activities in the Year:

• As noted in the annual report Shift hosted its largest event since the start of the pandemic with 212 attendees. The event was a celebration of 10 years of the Shift movement. This event was free for attendees, partly as a thank you gesture for the 10 years of support given by many of the attendees, but also in recognition that this event was an important time to re-engage the community and would act as a litmus test for what people might want from Shift going forwards.

• Over the period, we have continued to attract donations (both regular giving and one-off donations) amounting to £4,396. While these are lower than in the previous year, our healthy reserves provide Shift with a secure platform from which to consider the future activities and organisational structure of Shift so as to achieve the charity’s objects through Shift’s new strategy which is currently being developed.

Financial Year 2022/2023

1 – Summary of Activity for the Year ended 5 April 2023

	Y/E 5 Apr 23	Y/E 5 Apr 22
Receipts
Income from event activities(1)	£0	£0
Income from donations	£4,396	£6,076
Interest from bank	£41	£0
TOTAL RECEIPTS for the period	£4,436	£6,076
Payments
Costs incurred in running events(1)	£13,137	£559
Other Costs(2)	£4,113	£950
TOTAL COSTS for the period	£17,250	£1,509
Net Cashflow for the period	**(£12,813) **	£4,567

(1) Due to COVID-19 the Shift Weekend and Shift NYE events were not held in FY22. One smaller in person event was held but tickets were offered for free, therefore no event income was received and a small amount of event costs were incurred.

(2) The increase in other costs relates to team expenses as the team began meeting regularly again in FY23, closer to pre-pandemic rhythms, to run the charity and plan its future activities.

Financial Year 2022/2023

2 – Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at 5 April 2023

	Y/E 5 Apr 23	Y/E 5 Apr 22
Fixed Assets(3)	£1,750	£1,750
Current Assets (stock)(4)	£1,372	£1,372
Cash Funds	£25,390	£38,203
Liabilities	-	-
TOTAL FUNDS	£28,511	£41,325

(3) Storage container acquired to store equipment used for summer event. The expected life of the asset is 15 years and the expected residual value at this date is considered to be materially the same as today. Therefore, depreciation has not been included on grounds of immateriality.

(4) Inventory held at cost for future sale. There were no sales in the year. One jumper was written off in the period due to damage and fading.