Setting up a Charity for a Victim of a Serious Injury

You may have the ideas about setting up a charity for a victim of a serious injury, but are struggling to put thoughts and words into actions. We’ve created a comprehensive guide to help those of you looking to set up a charity for a victim of a serious injury to help you along the way.

Think About Who You Are

Before you delve into the technical steps of setting up your charity, you need to first think about what your charity is all about. You may have the idea of wanting to help victims of injury, but this idea alone will unfortunately not be enough to run a successful charity. Just like a business who sells for profit, you need to create your identity, your brand, who you are and what your charity stands for. Ask yourself questions about your organisation and its ideologies, figure out the answers and don’t move forward until you have an answer for every single one of them.

Once you’ve established the core values of your charity (it’s fine to not have a name just yet), you can move onto the next steps of setting up your charity for victims of serious injuries.

It is also worth pointing out that in this post, we will be talking about how to set up a charity for multiple victims of serious injuries, as most charities will not be supported or funded for one individual. If you’re looking at ways to raise money for one victim, you may benefit from either starting a one-off fundraising event and/or web page or partner with other UK charities. The Charity Commission give some useful advice on those who want to start a charity for an individual suffering from a rare disease; the answers can also guide those wishing to learn about starting a charity for a victim of a serious injury.

The UK Government Website gives tips on how to set up a charity here. Each of the six steps outlined on the page has to be carried out by any new charity, however, like with any organisation, a lot of thought and extra action needs to be taken in each step, depending on which kind of charity you are setting up. For a charity aimed at helping those affected by serious injury you need to:

Decide What Structure Your Charity Will Have

It is important to clarify what structure your charity will have right from the start. This is why you need to decide your charity’s ideologies and aims from the beginning. It may be tough to decide on the structure, but taking time to consider your options before getting ahead of yourself is useful. For more help on information about which structure your charity will have, refer to the gov.uk site.

Get Funding

You’ll have to show that your charity for victims of serious injury will make over £5,000 per year. Whilst it is possible to fundraise before your charity is registered, more popular options to raise the initial costs include: gifted money, grants and government funding. Know How Non-Profit give ways on how to source initial charity funding.

Plan Your First Few Years

It’s important to think about where you want to go with your charity over the years. A charity is like running a business; it takes dedication, hard work and planning.

Get the Right Support

Starting your own charity for victims of serious injury doesn’t have to be lonely. Ask local businesses and professionals for help. Talk to charities who have similar visions as you do, many will be happy to assist you, or point you in the direction of someone else you may be able to ask.

Write Your Governing Document

Your governing document has to contain a lot of information. As well as informative, the text needs to be well thought out and written. Have a look at templates of other charities’ governing documents so that you understand exactly how to compile the document before you start.

Keep Going

It’s going to be difficult when you’re setting up your charity. You’ll just want to help people who cannot afford treatment, feel depressed and haven’t got family to turn to after they’ve suffered a serious injury. Instead, you’ll be filling in forms and documents that are pages long and full of legal jargon, you’ll have to multitask and do things you’ve never done before. It’s going to be difficult, but in the end, it’s worth it. Keep going!

Starting a charity for victims of serious injuries is going to take time and effort. Whatever you do, take each step slowly. If you’re ever in doubt, refer back to the official UK government website and already registered charities’ websites. You’re doing a great thing, good luck and well done!