Community Foundation appoints finance manager
THE island’s first charity support centre has announced the appointment of a finance manager to kick-start its development.
It will fall to the Guernsey Community Foundation’s Lois Falla – a certified accountant who ran publication relations agency Orchard PR for 21 years before its management buyout in 2017 – to oversee the centre’s mission to offer practical advice and support to local charities and voluntary organisations.
During this pilot phase, Mrs Falla has been spending the majority of her time meeting with many of the island’s charities and identifying ways in which the centre can best support them.
‘I am already providing accountancy services to some of the charities, which will help me develop this specific service,’ she said.
‘Ultimately our aim is to provide all sorts of services to charities who lack support in a variety of fields from administration services, such as bookkeeping and payroll, so that they can focus more of their time and resources on delivering their services to the community.’
The services offered during this first phase focus on finance, insurance and payroll.
By July 2021 the centre intends to have developed its offering even further by providing IT, pensions, governance, fundraising HR and marketing support.
Foundation director Alastair Bisson is managing the development of the new service along with a team of industry professionals and third sector specialists.
‘There are over 400 charities on the island and while they differ in size and offer a diverse range of services, they share certain common needs, especially around corporate infrastructure and governance,’ he said.
‘It’s not feasible for newer or small charities to recruit dedicated staff, or to rely on the generosity of volunteers, and that’s where the foundation’s new support service comes in.’
He added that the addition of Mrs Falla would help them achieve their goals.
‘Lois joins us with a great deal of passion for the third sector,’ he said.
‘She has been making great inroads into their needs and is identifying ways in which the centre can best support them.’
Next month will also see the foundation moving into newly-refurbished offices at the KGV.
‘This is a perfect location to continue to expand on the existing provision provided by the Guernsey Community Foundation and the new Charity Support Centre,’ said Mr Bisson.
n For more information about the services provided by the Charity Support Centre contact Lois@foundation.gg or call 07781 121512.
