Present:

Committee

Phillip Callow Chairman
Liz Le Poidevin Deputy Chairman
Hannah Williams Treasurer
Simon Larbalestier Honorary Secretary
Lynsey Mallinson Publicity Officer
Helen Davies Applications Review Officer
David Newman Training and events co-ordinator
Hugh Munro Committee Officer
Stephanie Duke Committee Officer

In attendance:
Lyn Wilton (Administrator)
Judith Turbyne (Speaker)

Members and guests following the completion of the formal AGM

1
Welcome and Apologies:

The Chairman welcomed members to the AGM. Apologies were received from a number of members a list of which is available on request.

2
Minutes of the Previous Meeting:

The minutes of the 42nd AGM held on 11th June 2013 were proposed by Chris Clark, seconded by Nicola Bennett, approved by the members and signed off by the Chairman as a true record of the meeting.

3
To Receive the Annual Report from the Chairman:

The Chairman guided the attendees through the Annual Report.

He noted that as corporate profits were up on the year before this had had a knock on effect of providing more funds for charities and in fact the Committee had distributed a record level of grants.

The Chairman highlighted that a new company, the JVCS was set up with the aim of providing a helping hand and a voice for the membership and he encouraged the membership to use this facility.

The proposed Charity Law is both historic and forward looking however, there is still some work required before the Law would be enacted.

• Further clarity is required on what constitutes public benefit as there is still much interpretation.

• There will be a charity commissioner who will form a register of charities. It is expected that the regulatory and financial reporting for each charity will be proportional to its size however; this is yet to be decided.

The committee will keep abreast of any developments and will be sure to advise the membership as appropriate.

In conclusion the Chairman thanked Lyn Wilton for her sterling work in the year and reminded the membership that she is the professional and the committee are the amateurs!!

The chairman thanked the committee for giving up their time voluntarily. Finally he thanked the memberships who do all the hard work for good causes.

4
To Receive the Annual Report and Accounts from the Treasurer for Year Ending 31.03.12

Hannah Williams presented the following and guided the membership through the contents:

HW acknowledged that the AJC funds had reduced from £3.6 to £3.4 and that the grants paid out exceeded the income from the States of Jersey however; HW noted that this is not a problem as the committee was committed to keeping reserve levels down.

HW also pointed out that 64% of grants are approved at meetings, 18% following meetings and 11% rejected as they did not meet the grant criteria.

Common reasons for rejection:
• The activity for which funds are requested is not of benefit to Jersey
• A request is for a grant from a member to another organisation that is not a member
• A request would benefit a commercial enterprise
• Sufficient funds were already available to the charity (though only 2 examples in the past year)

HW also analysed the current value of the AJC.

£3.4 million still seems a large balance? Breaking that down, £2.5m is restricted and more than £600k is already committed leaving us with less than £300k net for distribution.
Concerning the restricted anonymous donation, £2.05m is in investments and we do note that 5% is distributable annually.

It is the committee’s intention to slowly reduce this investment balance over the coming years.
200k is in a training fund which is gradually being depleted however; if the membership has any thoughts re training possibilities please contact us.
Finally HW encouraged membership for any feedback re grant applications and also asked of the membership that if they had strong views re the maximum grant levels to voice their thoughts to the committee.
The membership did not have any questions and audibly showed their appreciation of the clear presentation.

Additionally Phillip Callow presented the unaudited accounts and requested approval subject to any changes that would require approval by the committee. The approval was proposed by Edward Trevor, seconded by Clive Spears and carried by a show of hands.

5
To re-appoint Bracken Rothwell as auditors for the year

Approval was proposed by Chris Clark, seconded by Bronia Macon and carried by a show of hands.

6
Election of Officers:

Geoffrey Allo proposed and Clive Spears seconded the re-election of the committee which was carried by a show of hands.

Phillip Callow Chairman
Liz Le Poidevin Deputy Chairman
Hannah Williams Treasurer
Simon Larbalestier Honorary Secretary
Lynsey Mallinson Publicity Officer
Helen Davies Applications Review Officer
David Newman Training and events co-ordinator
Hugh Munro Committee Officer
Stephanie Duke Committee Officer

7
To expel 1 member for non-payment of subscription:
Jersey Hyperbaric Treatment Centre – 2 years non-payment of subs

Payment was received shortly before the AGM therefore the Jersey Hyperbaric Treatment Centre will remain as a member.

8
Any Other Business:

Your committee’s stewardship of the AJC – any comment from the membership?

The Chairman began by asking if the membership would expect to be automatically registered under the proposed Charity Law or do they see membership and registration as two separate entities?
The chairman also asked whether the membership wanted the JVCS to do more in the consideration of this point.
At this point John Pinel on behalf of the JVCS addressed the membership:
The JVCS is now set up as a company and is focusing on the agreement/communication between non-profit charities and the States of Jersey, governance, particularly regarding smaller charities and the opportunity to assist by providing administration space and administrative assistance. With this last point in mind specifically, the Salvation Army have offered a place for an “administrative” hub which will be able to provide small offices for the membership. With assistance from HSBC and the Territorial Army amongst others, this is currently with planning and the JVCS hope this to be up and running by Autumn 2015.
The JVCS has worked very hard over a disabilities partnership garnering a successful agreement from the Chief Minister and Paul Routier to produce proper research and survey to work out the number and types of disability that there is in Jersey.
The JVCS meets regularly with the Chief Minister’s department to try and bring about greater awareness and a cultural change in the community.
It was noted that the AJC currently funds the JVCS but that funding will shortly move over to the States of jersey.
Any other questions?
Chris Clark asked whether the AJC will be able to assist in an understanding of the regulations under the law.
The Chairman replied that this would dealt with collaboratively between the States of Jersey, the JVCS and the AJC however, as the Charity Law was not yet enacted it is difficult to provide any additional information at this time.
Edward Trevor: if there was an automatic move of members to registered charities, would the AJC remove any charities that did not satisfy requirements under the law?
The chairman was unable to give an answer at this time.

In addition Edward Trevor noted that recently an organisation was allowed to become a member that would not qualify under the proposed Charity Law. How can this be?
The Chairman re-iterated that until the law is in place the AJC must continue to allow or prevent membership based on its existing constitution. The constitution does not allow the AJC to consider what may or may not be in the future law.
Lyn Wilton: Having spoken to people who have analysed the law in some detail it is apparent that “one size fits all”. Will the Law accommodate that in reality one size does not fit all?
The Chairman agreed that the registration process which will include being added to the register and non-profit tax status as one, is of one size however, the second stage, to include tax exemption levels and reporting requirements, is not expected to be of one size.
Chris Renouf: is the Lottery funding going to continue to be exclusively for Charities?
The Chairman stated that this is not guaranteed but considered likely. What is not apparent to the membership is the continued lobbying by the committee to ensure that the Lottery funds continue to go to the AJC.
Jean Le Maître: Currently all grants that are agreed or otherwise are published which is great however, if a request is refused because a member objected, should the objection be also published in order to ensure we have full transparency?
The Chairman presented this question to the membership pointing out that the public logging of objections may impact unfavourably on the member. Clive Spears stated that maybe as a learning experience the “why” should be noted however, to name would not be right as it could cause embarrassment. Chris Clark added that prior to the receipt of the large anonymous donation there were open membership votes however, this simply allowed members to vote grants for each other. The Chairman reminded the membership that the committee were voted in by the membership to undertake this role in a more impartial manner.
Chris Clark asked if the training funds would be available for specific training as requested by the membership.
he Chairman replied that it was better for training to be more general so as to be useful to more of the membership however, if a number of members got together to ask for some specific training then the AJC would consider this.
The Chairman asked the membership whether the committee meetings should be open. Edward Trevor replied by stating that non-members of the committee should not attend as it may damage the existing proces

As this was the last of the questions the Chairman introduced the guest, Dr Judith Turbyne

Please find attached a copy of her presentation:

On completion at 8pm, The Chairman thanked Dr Judith Turbyne for her speech on behalf of the AJC and adjourned for refreshments.

Date of Next Meeting:

The next meeting of officers will be held on Tuesday 9th September 2014 at the RBC Offices, Colomberie, St Helier.

Signed Chairman…………………………………………………………………

Dated………………………………………………………………………………