Archived: South Melbourne Restoration Community: mini-charity review

Mini-charity review of South Melbourne Restoration Community (Red Church), an organisation that invites those ‘who call Red Church home’ to give to it, and that has a board member who is a member of the CMA Standards Council, Christian Management Australia’s ‘major new initiative, accrediting Christian organisations against a set of standards of good governance, financial oversight, and fundraising ethics.’

(Including the answers to the questions that the Australian charity regulator, the ACNC, suggests that you ask.)

Is it responsive to feedback?

• When sent a draft of this review, on 24 March, they…did not reply.

Is it registered?

• Yes, as a charity.
• The name that it uses, Red Church, is not registered as a business name. It should not therefore be trading under this name.
  • The name Red, is already registered (to The Trustee for PJL Enterprises).
• Not incorporated.
• As it can marry people, Red Church does not have to register as a fundraiser in Victoria. And as its online invitation to give is restricted to those people who ‘call Red Church home’, it most likely does not have to register in any of the other six states that have a fundraising regime.

What does Red Church do?

• See under the photo here.

Do they share the Gospel?

• Yes

What impact are they having?

• Nothing systematic found.

Can you get a tax deduction?

• No

Is their online giving secure?

• NA – none offered.

What choices do you have in how your donation is used?

• None given on the website.

Is their reporting up-to-date?

• Yes (just over six months after their year-end)

Does their reporting comply with the regulator’s requirements?

• Annual Information Statement 2016 (AIS 2016): No
  • No ‘activities and outcomes’ are given. (Referring readers to the website is neither in keeping with the spirit of the AIS nor, because of the absence of the information on the website, effective.)
• Financial Report 2016: Yes.
  • Red Church’s status as a ‘Basic Religious Charity’ means that it does not need to submit a Financial Report. (Nor does it need to complete the ‘Financial Information’ section of the AIS 2016.)
  • There is no requirement in the constitution for financial statements.

What financial situation was shown in that Report?

• No financial information is available. Nor do financial statements have to be lodged with any other regulator.

What do they spend outside the costs directly incurred in delivering the above impact, that is, on administration?

• No information is available.

What did the auditor say about the last financial statements?

• There is no evidence that Red Church produces financial statements.

If a charity, is their page on the ACNC Register complete?

• Almost – ‘Phone’ is blank.

Who are the people controlling the organisation?

• The three with ‘board’ in their title in the second row here.
• The same on the ACNC Register:
  • David Evers
  • Michael King
    • There are 10 charities which have a ‘Michael King’ as a responsible person. And the register only covers charities, not all not-for-profits.  Therefore, if after eliminating the charities that don’t belong to the Red Church director, you are left with his total being more than a handful, it would be legitimate for you to question whether his ability to discharge his fiduciary responsibilities is threatened.
  • Jeffrey Tulk
    • Jeffrey is a member of ‘Standards Panel’ (or is it the ‘CMA Standards Council’?), a committee of Christian Management Advancement Ltd, an organisation that believes that
      • Christian organisations should be the standard-setters in terms of impeccable corporate behaviour.
        • The Panel’s mission is to ‘help build faith and trust in Christian organisations’, including by allowing organisations who are compliant with a set of standards, formed by the Council, to display the Council’s seal of approval.

To whom is Red Church accountable?

• To the ACNC.
• Under ‘leadership structure’ (a FAQ here), Red Church says that “Churches of Christ Victoria/Tasmania provide oversight, care and compliance for certain areas of operation as necessary.”