Global Welfare Project’s website described itself as a charity set up to help provide various forms of aid to Syria including water and sanitation, aid containers, and support to hospitals, orphans and widows.

The regulator opened an inquiry into the charity after notifications from West Yorkshire Police that the organisation was appealing for donations from the public for charitable purposes.

The Commission confirmed to the police that it was not a registered charity, nor had an application been received to register it. Global Welfare Project was found to be using the registration number of another registered charity when it solicited donations from the public, which the regulator said was misleading.

The subsequent report found that the individuals running the organisation did not fulfil key duties under charity law by failing to maintain full and accurate financial records. However, it notes that the trustees cooperated with the investigation and provided information, although this was incomplete and inaccurate in places.

The organisation’s bank account was opened in December 2013 and between then and February 2017, the date of the last deposit into the account, £33,417 was deposited into the account of which £17,909 was spent.

The inquiry found that the trustees failed to monitor or verify the end use of charitable funds. Funds (£10,409) being given to other charities or otherwise expended do not evidence the ultimate charitable expenditure.

The trustees failed to provide evidence in support of this expenditure and how they ensured that the funds were used for their intended charitable purposes. The trustees advised the Commission of photos and videos displayed on the organisation’s social media account; however, the inquiry did not consider these sufficient to evidence and fully account for the funds expended.

The inquiry found that the organisation was working with the registered charity whose registration number it was using. The Commission confirmed this when it conducted a separate compliance visit to the registered charity.

Limited information and records were maintained and provided in respect of the administration, governance and management of Global Welfare Project. The inquiry found that there was little, if any, information to show how the trustees decided to spend funds donated to the organisation, how it identified and chose partners that it worked with and how they accounted for the funds received and expended.

As a result of the inquiry, the remaining funds in the organisation’s bank account, which totalled around £15,500, have been passed to a charity with similar purposes and used for a project which is working to secure food, hygiene kits and solar kits to support 69,500 people in two provinces in Syria.

Michelle Russell, director of investigations, monitoring and enforcement at the Charity Commission said: ‘Our report makes clear that those individuals who held funds on behalf of the organisation were trustees of charitable funds with the duties of charity trustees.

‘We found that they failed to monitor and fully account for the funds that were applied which is why we intervened to ensure the remaining funds are properly applied.

‘This case serves as a reminder to trustees of charitable funds, that they must comply with charity law, and their behaviour has an impact on public trust and confidence in the charity sector.’

Charity Inquiry: Global Welfare Project is here

Report by Pat Sweet