Charities are very often stretched when it comes to resource. They rely on the good nature of volunteers to fundraise and deliver campaigns, but for those living and breathing the charity’s core mission, it is often the case they are left with very little spare time to focus on business strategy and finance – elements of any organisation that are integral to growth.
Such was the case for local charity DanceSyndrome, who contacted Champion four years ago looking for support with its annual accounts after its internal bookkeeper left the company.
DanceSyndrome was established by founder, Jen Blackwell, who has Down’s syndrome and set out to achieve her dream of becoming a dancer and dance leader. Fast forward to today, and DanceSyndrome empowers learning-disabled individuals through inclusive dance, whilst supporting with leadership, participation, performance and training opportunities.
Shortly after we were appointed, the charity received a large cash injection. It quickly became clear that additional support would be needed to manage more of the charity’s internal finance functions and provide guidance on how the funding should be used to help the organisation achieve its ambition of developing a franchise model.
We took on the tasks of bookkeeping, monthly management accounts and payroll, as well as providing consultancy on how to manage the new, increased budget available, with supporting cashflow forecasts. By taking over this crucial role within the charity, we freed up its leaders to retain their focus on operations and scaling the charity in line with the growth plans set out.
Dawn Vickers, managing director of DanceSyndrome, said: “Champion Accountants are part of our success story – it’s that simple. We see them as very much part of who we are; they’re incredibly professional, friendly and do everything they can to help.
“We operate mostly out of Lancashire, but we have big ambitions to develop a social franchise to grow our work across the UK, by developing relationships with organisations that share our values and are akin to what we do. I feel truly confident that Champion will be there to support us during every step of that process.”
We’ve extensive experience in supporting businesses – whether public sector, commercial or charity – with an accounting and business advisory function, which simultaneously helps them realise their potential for growth.
We embed into the organisations we work for to understand how they operate day-to-day, so we can become part and parcel of their teams, and integral to their success.