Annual accounts competition focuses on online reporting
The sponsors of the Charities’ Annual Reports and Accounts Awards are taking
the competition online to encourage better use of the Internet.
The Charities’ Online Accounts Awards will seek out the best Web-based annual report and accounts from across the non-profit sector. The new competition aims to become a benchmark for good practice by judging accurate financial accounting alongside accessibility, value-for-money and ease of
navigation.
The Charities’ Online Accounts Awards are jointly sponsored by CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), and have been developed to reflect charities’
increasing use of the Web as a cost-effective medium to communicate with their stakeholders and beneficiaries.
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Graham Ward, a senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, is Chair of the
Judging Panel which includes accountancy and communication experts, and UK Fundraising’s publisher Howard Lake.
According to Graham, “To enter the competition, charities must still comply
fully with SORP accounting requirements, but online accounts are more accessible, cheaper to produce and can be fully interactive. For a growing number of charities, adapting their accounts for the Internet is the natural next step.”
Entrants are divided into four categories; those with an income above £2
million, between £500,000 and £2 million, between £100,000 and £500,000 and
under £100,000. A prize of £2,000 will be awarded to the winning charity in each category together with a pass to attend one of CAF’s charity conferences and a winner’s seal for their Web site. Runners-up will each receive a certificate of excellence and a seal of recognition to post on their site.
The Charities’ Online Accounts Awards open in February 2003 when organisations will be able to enter their online annual report and accounts by e-mailing their entry form together with a link to their Web site to
ev****@CA*******.org
.
To give charities the greatest chance of
success, a dedicated Web site will list the
criteria for entry and extensive ./guidance notes.