Long term investments are held for more than 12 months. Investment assets are re-valued every year and included in the balance sheet at their current market value. Investments are assets held by the charity with the sole aim of generating income which will be used for their charitable purposes such as deposit accounts, shares, rental property and unit trusts. These are assets, other than investments, which are held for more than 12 months and used to run and administer the charity such as buildings, offices, exhibits and fixtures and fittings. This shows the balance the charity is striking, between spending on current beneficiaries and retaining resources for future beneficiaries. Investments can experience large swings in value so trustees may, in a particular year, decide to realise and spend part of their charity’s capital or to invest part of its income.īy clicking the investment gains checkbox the charitable spending bar is adjusted to take account of capital growth as well as income. To maximise returns trustees may commit to investment strategies for several years.

To do this, charities will normally adopt an investment strategy designed to generate both income and capital growth. They also need to take account of spending commitments that may stretch over a number of future years. In managing their spending and investments charities need to strike a balance between the needs of future and current beneficiaries.

Such investments usually take the form of stocks and shares but may include other assets, such as property, that are capable of generating income and/or capital growth.

Some charities generate all, or a substantial part, of their income from investments which may have been donated to the charity as endowment or set aside by the charity from its own resources in the past.

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