REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED
31st December 2025
FOR
THE SOFTWARE CHARITY
Registered charity in England & Wales with registration no: 1199034
THE SOFTWARE CHARITY
CONTENTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the year ended 31st December 2025
| Report of the Trustees | X |
|---|---|
| Section 1: Structure, Governance & | |
| Management | |
| Section 2: Objectives & Activities | |
| Section 3: Achievements & Performance | |
| Section 4: Financial Review | |
| Section 5: Declaration | |
| Statement of Financial Activities | X |
| Balance Sheet | X |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | X |
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THE SOFTWARE CHARITY REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES for the year ended 31 December 2025
The trustees present their report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2025 . The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015).
ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Registered Charity number 1199034
Registered address:
The Software Charity Bridge House Station Approach Great Missenden HP16 9AZ
Trustees:
Steve Griffiths (Chair) Elizabeth Moseley Charles Vernon Ryan Law Joshua Meyer
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Section 1: Structure, Governance & Management
Governing document
The Software Charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) governed by its Constitution dated 16th May 2022. The members of the CIO are its trustees and membership cannot be transferred to anyone else. Therefore, only the trustees of the CIO are able to vote on any matter relating to the CIO.
Appointment of trustees
As set out in the Constitution, trustees are appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. The chair of trustees is nominated by the trustees of the CIO and may at any point revoke such appointment. When considering the appointment of trustees, the board has regard to the requirement for any specialist skills needed for the effective administration of the CIO.
Trustee induction
Trustees are well aware of our objectives and the work we undertake. As such, the induction of new trustees is minimal. New trustees receive a copy of the current version of the Constitution, a copy of the most recent Trustees’ Annual Report and statement of accounts, and the Charity Commission’s ‘Charity Trustee Welcome Pack’ and ‘The essential trustee: what you need to know, what you need to do (CC3)’ guide.
Organisation
The board of trustees administers the CIO, with responsibilities for different areas. The board appoints a Chairman who directs the operations of the charity.
All trustees, and members of committees, give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity.
Section 2: Objective & Activities
The Software Charity has been set up to promote the efficiency and effectiveness of charities and the effective use of charitable resources through the development of low cost complete software based solutions for use by charities.
Significant activities
During the previous period we have:
▪ Made the SignMeUp application live and available to our beneficiaries for their use
▪ Become financially self-sufficient, as subscription income from SignMeUp cover operational costs of running the application
Public benefit
In shaping our objectives for the year and planning our activities, the trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, including the guidance ‘Public benefit: running a charity (PB2)’.
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The Software Charity operates on a not for profit basis to design and build software specifically to tackle day-to-day challenges encountered by many charities. This is licensed to them, providing them with fit for purpose software without the burden of having to fund and manage complex software projects. This allows them to be more effective in achieving their own charitable objective, focusing more of their own time and money on the things that they primarily exist to do.
In the medium term, The Software Charity is working to produce a registrations and management software suite, called “SignMeUp”, to be used by children’s holiday clubs and events. There is already high demand for this from the Lighthouse group of charities and events, but the software will be able to support multiple types of children’s events regardless of their background or mission.
Longer term, The Software Charity will identify other opportunities within the charity sector for novel software products where there are no existing cost-effective solutions, with a goal of maintaining a broad suite of software that solves many common problems. The ultimate goal is to reduce costs for these charities, and allow them to spend more of their time and money on their primary charitable goals, rather than administrative costs.
Section 3: Achievements & Performance
Chairman’s Report for 2025
2025 has been a year of consolidation, maturity, and increasing confidence in both our platform and our operating model.
SignMeUp has now successfully supported its second full season of events. This has provided a much stronger evidential base for its reliability and value in real-world use. Alongside this, we have continued to invest in the platform through targeted maintenance and the delivery of funded feature enhancements, resulting in a more stable and capable product.
From a financial perspective, the position is encouraging. Subscription income is now slightly exceeding the combined cost of maintenance and operational overheads. This marks an important milestone, demonstrating that the platform is not only sustainable but operating on a footing that allows for measured, continued development.
In August 2025, one of our suppliers, APCS, experienced a significant data breach affecting just over 100 SignMeUp users whose DBS checks had been processed through their systems. While The Software Charity was not the source of the breach, we treated the incident with the utmost seriousness. We reported the matter to the ICO and worked closely with our own DPO, whose handling of the situation was exemplary. We also undertook our own internal security review to ensure continued confidence in our systems and processes. Feedback from our customers during this period was notably positive, with many recognising the transparency and diligence with which we responded.
Overall, the year has reinforced the viability of our approach: a focused, well-governed platform delivering real value to charities, supported by disciplined operations and a clear sense of responsibility to our users.
We continue to pursue additional users for SignMeUp, to be able to further grow and develop the platform. We also continue to investigate potential new projects.
I would like to extend my thanks to the entire Software Charity team for their ongoing efforts.
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Section 4: Financial Review
Financial position
For the financial year to 31 December 2025 the charity had an income of £12,746.90 and an expenditure of £9,927.33. The full accounts are provided separately.
Principal funding sources
The principal funding sources for the CIO are subscriptions to the SignMeUp platform from other organisations who use it, and donations to fund specific development requests from those same organisation.
Reserves policy
None of the reserves are restricted as to their use. The trustees regularly review the reserves of the charity. The trustees consider that reserves should cover 12 months running and development costs in normal circumstances.
Going concern
The trustees have a reasonable expectation that fundraising efforts together with the current reserves will enable The Software Charity to continue in operational existence for at least one year from the date of approval of the accounts.
Funds in deficit
There are currently no funds in deficit.
Principal risks and uncertainties
Our primary risk is the need to maintain a base level of subscribers on the SignMeUp platform in order to ensure sufficient income to maintain and keep the platform secure. Our current projections show we are comfortably self-sufficient.
Section 5: Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved this trustees’ report.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
Full name: Mr Steve Griffiths Position: Chair of Trustees Date: 29th May 2025
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THE SOFTWARE CHARITY Financial Year ending 31 December 2025
INCOME STATEMENT
Income
| Income | |
|---|---|
| Donatons | £75.00 |
| Subscriptons | £9,258.00 |
| Customer requested features | £2,392.00 |
| Interest | £21.90 |
| Advertsing | £1,000.00 |
| Total income | £12,746.90 |
| Expenditure | |
| Banking | £60.00 |
| IT costs | £2,619.41 |
| Subcontractor labour (maintenance & support) | £2,670.00 |
| Subcontractor labour (customer requested features) | £2,148.00 |
| DBS provider | £876.57 |
| Training costs | £0.00 |
| Insurance | £1,518.35 |
| Other | £35.00 |
| Total expenditure | £9,927.33 |
| Net proft | £2,819.57 |
CASHFLOW STATEMENT
| Operatng Infows | £12,746.90 |
|---|---|
| Operatng Outlows | £9,927.33 |
| Financing Infows | £0.00 |
| Financing Outlows | £5,000.00 |
| Net Cashfow | -£2,180.43 |
| BALANCE SHEET | |
| Assets: Cash | £8,324.75 |
| Liabilites: Loan | £5,000.00 |
| Equity | £3,324.75 |
Signed on behalf of The Software Charity
I have reviewed and can confirm these accounts
Ian Branch, FCMA, CGMA, FIoD
Dr Richard Peters Treasurer
| Date | Descripton | Debit | Credit | Balance | Expenditure Category | Income Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carry forward | ||||||
| 24/12/25 | Interest - Capitalise Interest to Date | 4.67 | £8,324.75 | Interest | ||
| 15/12/25 | Charge - Capitalise Monthly Account Fee | 5 | £8,320.08 | Banking | ||
| 11/12/25 | DD GOCARDLESS APCSLTD-YC4Z9RKRPA | 4.79 | £8,325.08 | DBS provider | ||
| 09/12/25 | POS - 212592539 - SQSP* DOMAIN | 19.2 | £8,329.87 | IT costs | ||
| 08/12/25 | POS - 558364**7296 - WWW.TWILIO.COM | 81.92 | £8,349.07 | IT costs | ||
| 04/12/25 | Online transfer to Cyber Warriors Ltd Cyb-02502 | 990 | £8,430.99 | Subcontractor labour (mainten | ||
| 14/11/25 | Charge - Capitalise Monthly Account Fee | 5 | £9,420.99 | Banking | ||
| 12/11/25 | DD GOCARDLESS APCSLTD-YC4Z9RKRPA | 4.79 | £9,425.99 | DBS provider | ||
| 06/11/25 | POS - 558364**7296 - WWW.TWILIO.COM | 82.84 | £9,430.78 | IT costs | ||
| 04/11/25 | POS - 558364**7296 - AWS EMEA | 62.1 | £9,513.62 | IT costs | ||
| 15/10/25 | Charge - Capitalise Monthly Account Fee | 5 | £9,575.72 | Banking | ||
| 14/10/25 | FP Youth Challenge Ox INVOICE 13 | 21 | £9,580.72 | Subscriptons | ||
| 14/10/25 | Online transfer to Hitde Web Development Lt Invoice 2195 | 840 | £9,559.72 | Subcontractor labour (mainten | ||
| 07/10/25 | POS - 558364**7296 - WWW.TWILIO.COM | 80.45 | £10,399.72 | IT costs | ||
| 06/10/25 | POS - 558364**7296 - AWS EMEA | 58.88 | £10,480.17 | IT costs | ||
| 30/09/25 | FP LIGHTHOUSE88 INVOICE 19 | 762 | £10,539.05 | Subscriptons | ||
| 26/09/25 | Interest - Capitalise Interest to Date | 3.99 | £9,777.05 | Interest | ||
| 26/09/25 | Tfr from 00030342 | 4147 | £9,773.06 | Subscriptons | ||
| 15/09/25 | Charge - Capitalise Monthly Account Fee | 5 | £5,626.06 | Banking | ||
| 11/09/25 | DD GOCARDLESS APCSLTD-YC4Z9RKRPA | 57.48 | £5,631.06 | DBS provider | ||
| 05/09/25 | POS - 558364**7296 - WWW.TWILIO.COM | 80.98 | £5,688.54 | IT costs | ||
| 03/09/25 | POS - 558364**7296 - AWS EMEA | 60.26 | £5,769.52 | IT costs | ||
| 15/08/25 | Charge - Capitalise Monthly Account Fee | 5 | £5,829.78 | Banking | ||
| 12/08/25 | DD GOCARDLESS APCSLTD-YC4Z9RKRPA | 364.04 | £5,834.78 | DBS provider | ||
| 07/08/25 | POS - 558364**7296 - WWW.TWILIO.COM | 81.43 | £6,198.82 | IT costs | ||
| 05/08/25 | POS - 558364**7296 - AWS EMEA | 61.91 | £6,280.25 | IT costs | ||
| 28/07/25 | Online transfer to Freshworks Inc Freshdesk | 276 | £6,342.16 | IT costs | ||
| 28/07/25 | Online transfer to Richard Peters Loan repayment | 5000 | £6,618.16 | Loan repayment | ||
| 24/07/25 | POS - 558364**7296 - CLOUDFLARE | 3.89 | £11,618.16 | IT costs | ||
| 15/07/25 | Charge - Capitalise Monthly Account Fee | 5 | £11,622.05 | Banking | ||
| 11/07/25 | DD GOCARDLESS APCSLTD-YC4Z9RKRPA | 215.55 | £11,627.05 | DBS provider | ||
| 09/07/25 | FP LIGHTHOUSE88 INVOICE 14 | 100 | £11,842.60 | Subscriptons | ||
| 07/07/25 | POS - 558364**7296 - WWW.TWILIO.COM | 79.47 | £11,742.60 | IT costs | ||
| 03/07/25 | POS - 558364**7296 - AWS EMEA | 57.73 | £11,822.07 | IT costs | ||
| 26/06/25 | Interest - Capitalise Interest to Date | 6.6 | £11,879.80 | Interest | ||
| 26/06/25 | Online transfer to Hitde Web Development Lt HiTide Inv 2181 | 840 | £11,873.20 | Subcontractor labour (mainten | ||
| 13/06/25 | Charge - Capitalise Monthly Account Fee | 5 | £12,713.20 | Banking | ||
| 12/06/25 | DD GOCARDLESS APCSLTD-YC4Z9RKRPA | 138.91 | £12,718.20 | DBS provider | ||
| 12/06/25 | POS - 558364**7296 - LARAVEL FORGE | 295.21 | £12,857.11 | IT costs | ||
| 09/06/25 | POS - 558364**7296 - WWW.TWILIO.COM | 80.02 | £13,152.32 | IT costs | ||
| 06/06/25 | POS AWS EMEA 5 Rue Plaet 81.19USD@0.743811 | 60.39 | £13,232.34 | IT costs | ||
| 22/05/25 | POS SQSP* INV182554395 | 244.8 | £13,292.73 | IT costs | ||
| 15/05/25 | Monthly Account Fee | 5 | £13,537.53 | Banking | ||
| 15/05/25 | POS WWW.TWILIO.COM 107.94USD@0.755327 Dr R Peters | 81.53 | £13,542.53 | IT costs | ||
| 12/05/25 | DD GOCARDLESS APCSLTD-YC4Z9RKRPA | 33.53 | £13,624.06 | DBS provider | ||
| 09/05/25 | POS AWS EMEA 5 Rue Plaet 78.91USD@0.754150 Dr R Peters | 59.51 | £13,657.59 | IT costs | ||
| 06/05/25 | ICS BACS 000001 | 1000 | £13,717.10 | Advertsing | ||
| 24/04/25 | POS CLOUDFLARE 9.64USD@0.757261 | 7.3 | £12,717.10 | IT costs | ||
| 15/04/25 | Monthly Account Fee | 5 | £12,724.40 | Banking | ||
| 10/04/25 | DD GOCARDLESS APCSLTD-YC4Z9RKRPA | 38.32 | £12,729.40 | DBS provider | ||
| 09/04/25 | POS WWW.TWILIO.COM 107.94USD@0.772096 | 83.34 | £12,767.72 | IT costs | ||
| 07/04/25 | POS AWS EMEA 5 Rue Plaet 79.82USD@0.776748 | 62 | £12,851.06 | IT costs | ||
| 28/03/25 | Online transfer to Hitde Web Development Lt Invoice 2086 | 2148 | £12,913.06 | Subcontractor labour (custome | ||
| 26/03/25 | INTEREST TO DATE | 6.64 | £15,061.06 | Interest | ||
| 18/03/25 | POS SQSP* INV173353612 Dr R Peters | 172.8 | £15,054.42 | IT costs | ||
| 17/03/25 | Monthly Account Fee | 5 | £15,227.22 | Banking | ||
| 12/03/25 | FP INVOICE LIGHTHOUSE88 | 928 | £15,232.22 | Subscriptons | ||
| 12/03/25 | DD GOCARDLESS APCSLTD-YC4Z9RKRPA | 19.16 | £14,304.22 | DBS provider | ||
| 10/03/25 | POS WWW.TWILIO.COM 107.94USD@0.788864 | 85.15 | £14,323.38 | IT costs | ||
| 06/03/25 | POS AWS EMEA 5 Rue Plaet 73.16USD@0.795517 | 58.2 | £14,408.53 | IT costs | ||
| 27/02/25 | Online transfer to Gallagher Portal | £1,518.35 | £14,466.73 | Insurance | ||
| 17/02/25 | Monthly Account Fee | £5.00 | £15,985.08 | Banking | ||
| 10/02/25 | Online transfer from Lighthouse Central | £3,281.00 | £15,990.08 | Subscriptons | ||
| 10/02/25 | POS WWW.TWILIO.COM 107.94USD@0.808041 | £87.22 | £12,709.08 | IT costs | ||
| 06/02/25 | POS AWS EMEA 5 Rue Plaet 79.76USD@0.807422 | £64.40 | £12,796.30 | IT costs | ||
| 04/02/25 | POS WWW.TWILIO.COM 8.12USD@0.805419 Dr R Peters | £6.54 | £12,860.70 | IT costs | ||
| 23/01/25 | Online transfer from Lighthouse Central | 1103 | £12,867.24 | Customer requested fea | ||
| 17/01/25 | FP LHCENTRAL DONATION SHARP B+J | 75 | £11,764.24 | Donatons | ||
| 15/01/25 | Monthly Account Fee | 5 | £11,689.24 | Banking | ||
| 14/01/25 | FP LHMARLOW LIGHTHOUSE MARLOW | 850 | £11,694.24 | Customer requested fea | ||
| 10/01/25 | Online transfer from Lighthouse Central | 439 | £10,844.24 | Customer requested fea | ||
| 10/01/25 | DD ICO ZB645565 | 35 | £10,405.24 | Other | ||
| 10/01/25 | FP INVOICE 9 Youth Challenge Ox | 19 | £10,440.24 | Subscriptons | ||
| 09/01/25 | POS WWW.TWILIO.COM 23.94USD@0.809106 | 19.37 | £10,421.24 | IT costs | ||
| 08/01/25 | POS AWS EMEA 5 Rue Plaet 79.74USD@0.809757 | 64.57 | £10,440.61 | IT costs | ||
| Carry Forward | £10,505.18 | |||||
| Totals | £14,927.33 | £12,746.90 |