We are excited to announce that our application to become registered as a Public Benevolent Institution (PBI) with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) has been submitted.
What is a PBI?
A PBI stands for Public Benevolent Institution. It is a subtype of charitable institution which is:
“…organised, conducted or promoted for the relief of poverty, sickness, destitution, helplessness, suffering, misfortune, disability or distress.”
Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission
commonkind’s Main Object
An extract from commonkind’s constitution describes the purpose of commonkind:
“The main object for which the Company is established is to provide benevolent relief to
Constitution Commonkind Limited
people and communities suffering from poverty, disadvantage and distress by facilitating
community service activities for children, families and other interested parties.”
Learn more about what we do here.
Why is being a PBI important?
For us at commonkind, being a PBI provides recognition of our benevolent purpose. It also provides evidence of legitimacy to our stakeholders because as part of PBI status there are governance requirements that must be maintained and made publicly available on the ACNC website.
Advantages of being registered?
Advantages of going the extra step to seek out formal registration as a charity with the ACNC is this registration may open up grants and other funding opportunities. Some supplies also offer free or discounted rates to registered charities. Shout-out to all of those companies for giving back to the charity sector!
Disadvantages of being registered?
Disadvantages, especially for a small non-profit, are the cost to register both in terms of time and money as well as the associated record-keeping and paperwork. As most of the reporting requirements are part of our standard procedures we agreed that registration was worth pursuing.
Is your favourite charity registered?
You can see if your favourite charity is registered at the ACNC website here.
What are the next steps?
We are awaiting feedback from the ACNC on our application. We’ll keep you updated on our progress.
About commonkind
We provide benevolent relief to people and communities suffering from poverty, disadvantage and distress by facilitating age-appropriate community service activities for children, families and other interested parties.
Get in touch!
Whether you are a charity with a task that might be suitable or you are interested in helping us create a kinder and more connected community, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us here.
