Starting your Organisation

Starting your Organisation

Starting a Not-for-profit organisation, Charity or Social Enterprise is all about using your available resources efficiently and for the good of the community.

Starting a Not-for-profit organisation (NFP) or Charity is a way to bring people and resources together to support a common cause.  These organisations can take many different forms and support many different causes.

Social Enterprises are businesses with a difference.  Rather than generating business profits only for private benefit, they use their profits to support the community and a particular social need.

Whether you are starting a local sporting club, a national charity supporting medical research or a social enterprise, you will have one overriding goal – to use your available resources efficiently and for the good of the community.

We are very experienced in working with many well established businesses and successful individuals, so we know what it takes to make an organisation run well and meet its goals.  On the other hand, we are down to earth enough to understand that you don’t have an endless budget to spend on lawyers and need advice that is easy to understand and to the point.

We strike the right balance between making sure things are done right (which is important to access funding and establish your reputation in the community) and working within the bounds of your resources.

Call us on 1300 654 590 or email us to discuss how we can help you start your Not-for-profit organisation, Charity or Social Enterprise.

How we can help you

Having the right structure for your NFP from day one is very important. Building up a a good track record and reputation is key to attracting others to support your cause.  Laying the right foundations from the start means that resources are used responsibly and effectively.

We can help you lay the right foundations, including:

  • Determining best funding strategy for your NFP;
  • Establishing an appropriate legal structure, whether incorporated association, public company limited by guarantee, charitable trust or social enterprise;
  • Preparing governing documents that are tailored to the particular objects and activities of your NFP to maximise your opportunities to access funding, whether through grants, sponsorship, public donations, private investments, business activities or some other method;
  • Assisting you to register your NFP with the appropriate government bodies so that you can access any available tax concessions and be a recognised charity (if applicable);
  • Providing advice on the key issues that may affect your NFP in your particular field and helping you develop strategies to deal with those issues; and
  • Assisting you to clearly understand and record your arrangements with other people that are involved in starting your NFP, including: Commercial Leases; Sponsorship & Funding Agreements; Partnership Agreements; Service & Supplier Agreements and Employment Agreements.

Our approach is to be pragmatic and resourceful so that your NFP can start its good work sooner.

Call us on 1300 654 590 or email us to get us involved in starting your Not-for-profit organisation, Charity or Social Enterprise.

Our Great Lawyer Guarantee

We want to be part of your team over the long term. We'll achieve this by sticking closely to the following principles:

  • We'll listen carefully to understand what you want to achieve. Then we'll thoroughly explain our advice and step you through the documents. You can be sure you'll know the full consequences.
  • Our lawyers work as a team, so someone will always be available to answer your questions, or point you in the right direction. You will also benefit from a range of perspectives and experience.
  • One of our key goals is to pass on as much knowledge as we can, so you can make your own informed decisions. We want to make you truly independent.
  • We only do what we're good at. You can be confident that we know what we're doing and won't pass on the cost of our learning.
  • For advice and documents, we provide a fixed or capped quote so you don’t take price risk. If you're in a dispute, we'll map out the process and costs so you know what to expect.
  • We're not in this game for our egos. We're in it for a front row seat to witness your success.

We measure our success on how efficiently we have facilitated your objectives, enhanced your relationships, and reduced the level of stress for all involved.

If we sound like people you can work with, call us now and speak directly with a great lawyer.