Dove Trust could start paying money back to charities next month

08 Aug 2014 News

The interim manager of the Dove Trust, the charity responsible for the suspended fundraising platform CharityGiving, has said he is “hopeful” the charities and good causes owed money will start to receive it late next month or early October.

The interim manager of the Dove Trust, the charity responsible for the suspended fundraising platform CharityGiving, has said he is “hopeful” the charities and good causes owed money will start to receive it late next month or early October.

Pesh Framjee of Crowe Clark Whitehill was appointed interim manager of the Dove Trust in June last year by the Charity Commission following concerns about the management of CharityGiving, which was later suspended in order to protect funds raised through the site.

The Commission asked the High Court in December to decide how the money from the site should be distributed to charities and good causes as quickly as possible.

Last month the High Court ruled last month that the available funds should be distributed among the charities and good causes in proportion to the amount they are owed.

Mr Justice Henderson ruled there should be a "pari passu" approach, which means there will not be any distinction between those who donated to the site before the appointment of Framjee and those made afterwards.

It means charities are likely to only receive 33p for each pound they are owed.

The Dove Trust has £709,529 in frozen bank accounts, but owes the 1,812 charities and good causes £1.68m, the judgement found.  

In a statement published on the CharityGiving site yesterday, Framjee said following the judgement, the Order of Court which outlines the practicalities of distributing the money has now been received.

He said the final checks and calculations needed to distribute the available funds will now be made.

“The amount each beneficiary will receive depends on the outcome of the checks and calculations, including dealing with cases where no recipient has been nominated,” the statement said.

Some of the donations made to the site have not nominated a charity or good cause to receive them. Framjee said he is writing to the donors and fundraising page creators and if no cause is specified the court has ordered that the donation will be used to increase the money available to other nominated beneficiaries.

Donors and page creators have 42 days from the 6 August to nominate a recipient charity or good cause, he said.

“The interim manager will be working to complete other checks and calculations during this period, and is therefore hopeful that the first distributions will be made in late September or early October to beneficiaries where all the necessary information is available,” the statement said.