Dua Financial Standards for (all size) Charities

During the past decade the number of Muslim charities raising funds has increased. Smaller charities have become large and larger charities have become more complex. As the size and reach of charities increases, the need for better and robust financial governance significantly increases. It is only through this, donor monies can be protected and spent properly on charity projects the donors intended for.

 

In addition to donors, the banks and the Charity Commission take financial governance and anti-money laundering risks very seriously as well. When things go wrong, interventions from both can have an effect of impairing charity operations significantly.

 

Charity Commission interventions have sanctioned Trustees and CEOs and when Banks feel unfordable with financial governance they have closed bank accounts and / or stopped bank transfers to vital operations.

 

What does good financial governance look like in a small or large charity? – this is where wrong questions can result in wrong answers – Trustees, managers and donors sometime fall prey to this.

 

What does good financial governance look like in a small or large charity – this is where wrong questions can result in wrong answers – Trustees, Managers and Donors sometime fall for this.

 

Low or no overheads does not mean good financial governance and neither does a good marketing pictorial report on beneficiaries nor a slick emotional video shown by a fundraiser.

 

Donors have the right to ask questions as it is donor money at the end of the that becomes management salaries, admin costs and relief to beneficiaries.

However, these questions must be the right ones to ensure charities prepare the right answers.

 

The Dua Financial Governance Standards do exactly that – they provide a comprehensive and meaningful framework for the right questions and for charities a relevant standard through which they can demonstrate their governance.

 

The Dua Financial Governance Standards does that – provides a comprehensive and meaningful framework for the right questions and for charities a relevant standard through which they can demonstrate their governance.

 

There is lots of guidance already available online – the problem with much of this guidance is the lack of knowledge and experience how they should be applied. Not one size fits all. These various guides are often not tailored to the size or the charity risks. They often have an effect of identifying gaps the charity already knew existed.

 

Dua Standards

 

The Dua Standards helps charities demonstrate responsibility, create trust and transparency, and reduces risk of fraud, error & inefficiency.

 

The standards focus on four clear outcomes:

  1. The Trustees are adequately involved and accountable.

  2. High level financial controls are in place.

  3. The staff and skill dealing with finance are suitable

  4. The charitable spend including Zakat spend is adequately controlled

 

The outcomes are matched to a total of 18 criteria tailored to four different income sizes of charities. This ensures the standards remain relevant to income size and underlying risks of the charity.

Approach

 

The approach to assessing compliance to the standard is designed to also produce / recommend credible action plans where gaps are noted. These action plans help those charged with governance to steer the management and charity in the right direction.

 

The result is an improved and enhanced financial governance that protects donor monies and makes the monies reach and travel further for the charity beneficiaries worldwide.

 

Next steps

 

Email the team at Dua Governance info@duagovernance.com for further information and timings for an independent professional review. This will include a certification with a credible action plan for any gaps identified.

Islamic Schools the Untold Story of Governance

I recently visited an Islamic school that had not prepared its last 3 years of annual accounts. The Charity Commission had threatened to take them over, so in response they sought my help. After giving the Chairman a roasting for not giving financial accountability the due importance demanded by the regulators and Islam, I discussed the underlying reasons and explored solutions.

 

This is not the first time, I have come across a private Islamic school in financial difficulty. The same story repeats itself. Having worked as a senior Auditor in the Education sector with KPMG, I have a good understanding on how good governance looks like in the Education sector.

 

With Islamic schools there is an often an untold story – they are criticised when things go wrong but nobody tries to actually understands the underlying issues, never mind coming up with solutions.

 

The reality

Islamic schools are often set up by someone passionate about Islamic education on a voluntarily basis and with the support of the community. Personal funds, donations and Qard-e-Hassan loans are the traditional funds that are used to purchase the building, employ teachers and for other upfront costs.

 

I am yet to find a school where student fees alone cover the running costs therefore reliance is placed on donations and ongoing Qard-e-Hassan loans.

 

The Governors are never fully remunerated from the School due to Charity Commission restrictions. They often dedicate their full time as Chief Executive and give personal guarantees on the personal loans for the school. Their reputation becomes intertwined with the school. The founding Governor is often consumed by the day to day operations and cash flow challenges.

 

It is surprising how some of these schools sometimes achieve good Ofsted reports on their academic achievements despite lack of resources. I put this down to the barakah placed by God due to the sincerity of the Governors, staff and parents.

 

So what does this mean?

These unique features of Islamic schools have some implications. These are symptoms from the issues highlighted earlier.

 

Qualified staff and teachers cannot be afforded by such schools – reliance is placed on staff working for religious reasons and not for money, volunteers, family friends or on inexperienced staff. This directly impacts on the overall governance and standards of the school. As staff gain experience, they often leave for better paid positions elsewhere.

 

Due to personal sacrifices by the founding Governors, it becomes difficult for the Governors to delegate authority to Management giving rise to internal conflict and high senior staff turnover.

 

Cash flow becomes a bigger priority over financial control and accountability due to the loss making situation of the school. Unrecorded debt, the reasons for losses, spend without invoices to avoid VAT is not challenged or addressed. This very attitude contributes to a culture of ambiguity and secrecy.

 

Those among the community that give significant donations or Qard-e-Hassan loans to the school ascertain a position where they start to influence student admissions and staff employment. This compromises quality and standards.

 

So what should be done?

In my view and based on my professional experience, some simple steps can significantly improve this dire situation.

 

1.Before embarking on setting up a school, always prepare a business plan – Good business plans help to explore eventualities, mitigate risk, assess financials at the outset and plan accordingly and helps to ensure stakeholders are engaged in a transparent manner.

 

2.The school must be self-sustaining. If student fees alone cannot help to breakeven then the school must be supported by other reoccurring income i.e. trading activities, grants. Again this should be explored through business planning. Donations and Loans should not be used to fund core activities. This poses financial uncertainty.

 

3.As a Governor the following financial KPIs must not be ignored:

a. Bank reconciliations – never underestimate the importance of this. The Governors should ensure it regularly happens and must be aware of the implications. Bank reconciliations are the back bone of financial control.

b. Always be backed by a good Independent Accountant – Volunteers or sympathisers as Accountants may not be forthcoming in making sure issues are highlighted.

c. Ensure the annual accounts preparing process takes place. This provides a good opportunity to assess the financial health to plan for future.

 

4. It is not sufficient for Management / staff of schools to demand one way delegation – Management / staff should also introduce sufficient checks and balances to provide independent assurance to Governors that delegated authority is not abused.

 

5. Regular self-assessment against readily available checklists or by professional can help to high light issues before they are picked up by external regulators. These assessment should cover financial and non-financial aspects. Regular self-assessment is common feature among good governed organisations.

 

These simple steps can instantly make a difference and promote Good Governance in Islamic schools. There is no such thing as a perfect organisation.

 

In my view gaps are not issues as long as these gaps have action plans against them. Issues and Gaps are growing sins without action plans.

 

By Nasir Rafiq BA ACA – Governance Expert

 

Managing Director Dua Governance Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors