Legal Consultation for Charity Structure and Future Growth Plans

Overview: We are a nonprofit organisation currently structured as a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG). Our mission is to address food poverty, foster social integration, and support disadvantaged and diverse communities. We offer various programs such as employability training, mentoring, cooking classes, and food parcel distribution, primarily targeting low-income families, young people, and vulnerable individuals.

We are seeking expert legal advice to determine the most appropriate structure for our organization going forward. Specifically, we need guidance on whether we should maintain our current CLG status, convert to a Community Interest Company (CIC), or explore the option of registering as a charity to better align with our future goals of sustainable funding and program expansion.

Current Situation and Vision:

We are facing challenges accessing certain types of funding due to our CLG structure. Funders often require us to be registered as a CIC or charity.

Our future vision includes potentially offering paid services by packaging some of our programs, as we explore ventures into supporting small businesses or other sectors.

We also want to leverage our growing network and potential crowdfunding as a funding source but are conscious of the need to balance that with regulatory requirements and transparency.

While we are in the early stages of making this decision, we are looking for the right structure that supports both our charitable mission and future goals of sustainability without conflicting with our operations.

What We Are Looking For:

A freelancer with experience in nonprofit/charity legal structures, ideally with lived experience of guiding organizations through similar transitions.

Someone who can quickly analyze our current situation and goals and provide a practical recommendation on whether to remain a CLG, convert to a CIC, or register as a charity.
We do not require detailed legal documents at this stage. Instead, we are looking for a clear recommendation based on their experience and an understanding of the regulatory and funding landscape in the UK.
Deliverables:

A concise short report or consultation providing your recommendation on the most suitable legal structure for our organisation.

Key reasons for your recommendation, considering our mission, funding opportunities, and future plans.

Ideal Freelancer:

Has experience advising charities, social enterprises, or nonprofits on organizational structure and has successfully helped similar organizations transition.

Is familiar with the legal implications of running both charitable and for-profit arms, and can provide strategic insights without needing to deliver detailed technical documentation at this stage.

We are a nonprofit with limited resources but are willing to compensate fairly for the right expertise.