Community Accountancy Self Help (CASH)

Community Accountancy Self Help (CASH) is a London based community accountancy project that provides financial advice and training to small charities and voluntary groups. Our services include one-to-one casework, training courses and publications, all of which are geared towards providing people with the basic financial skills needed to run successful organisations: writing budgets, bookkeeping, bank reconciliation, cash accounting, preparing finance reports for trustees and fundraising. CASH also assists groups with more advanced skills including computerising accounts, producing unit costs and developing business plans. Training courses take place across London throughout the year and are typically attended by 10 to 12 people. One-to-one casework with groups is more intensive and involves a community accountant working with a member of a charity's staff on a range of issues. CASH's service is designed mainly for small charities with turnovers below £150,000 (though CASH regularly works with groups whose turnovers are in excess of £1million). These charities have a range of clients: elderly people, mental health service users, refugees and other disadvantaged groups. Over 70% of CASH's clients are from black and minority ethnic communities and the service is actively marketed to BME organisations.