March 2017
Dear ChapAid Member,
It is time once again to invite you to the ChapAid General Assemblies to be held after the Chaplaincy AGM. Your Council has been beavering away during 2016 to bring up to date our statutes and to meet your wishes for putting your charitable donations into effect. Whatever may go on behind the scenes, this is very firmly your Charitable Association; one which we aim to run smoothly on your behalf in accordance with the guidance of the Charity Commission. I hope this summary of the ChapAid policy document may be helpful in giving you an insight into how we operate on your behalf.
Purpose of ChapAid
The Chaplaincy as an Association Cultuelle may under no circumstances make any donations from its own funds to charities. The vehicle through which groups and individuals within the Chaplaincy are permitted to make charitable payments on behalf of the Chaplaincy to outside bodies is Chap-Aid, which is an Association Caritative, independent of the Association Cultuelle.
Membership of ChapAid Council
Members of ChapAid, who are elected at an Annual General Assembly or an Emergency General Assembly to serve on the Council, become Trustees of ChapAid. Trustees have a duty to ensure that ChapAid operates within the scope and constraints of its statutes. They also have a duty to satisfy themselves that the charities selected to be supported are active in fields that fit ChapAid statutes and that they in turn operate actively within the scope and constraints of their own statutes.
Choice of Charities to be supported by the Chaplaincy
Any ChapAid member may propose to a Council member the charity(ies) that they would like to see supported by ChapAid. The choice of charities to be supported is the responsibility of the ChapAid Council. Such proposals will be subject to due diligence by the Treasurer. If this proves satisfactory, such charities shall then be subject to approval by Council members. The charity must be a registered association, having its own statutes with the aim of providing relief for those in need or supporting outreach and care to individuals and groups in France and in other countries, in a spirit of Christian concern.
The Bishop’s Lent and Advent Appeals, together with the Chaplaincy wide appeals in favour of a rapid response to any major emergency as proper for Chap-Aid will be supported.
Each sector may propose the nomination of up to 3 charities from the Chap-Aid list of approved charities. ChapAid would wish to encourage at least one of these to be a French Charity focusing on the under-privileged. In principle we ought to support the small charities rather than the larger ones, as ChapAid donations would make a significant difference to their ability to meet their statutory objectives.
Support to other charities
For the avoidance of any misunderstanding, none of the above policies (which relate to the way in which ChapAid operates) prevent individuals who are also Chaplaincy members from making personal and private donations on their own behalf to any charity of their choice outside the scope of ChapAid.
With best wishes
Patrick Sturges
President of ChapAid
AGM Reports for download
Chap-Aid AGM Minutes 2016 unapproved
Letter to members with Summary of policy document