Introduction
After we spent time designing and agreeing on our business plan, we felt excited and ready to move forward. We had talked about what we wanted to achieve in the short term, what we hoped to do in the next few years, and our big dreams for the future. Once we had those goals written down, it was time to take the next big step—making our organisation official.
We learned that to apply for funding and grow our ideas, we needed to be more than just a group of people with a plan. Many funders don’t give money to individuals or sole traders. They want to see that you are a registered organisation with a proper structure. That meant we needed to get a registration number and legally incorporate our company.
With our vision clearly defined, we turned our attention to the practical steps needed to bring our organisation to life. This chapter outlines the key components we put in place to establish ourselves as a functioning and credible entity. From legal incorporation and regulatory compliance to setting up communication tools and a digital presence, each step was essential in laying a strong foundation. The following sections walk through our journey, covering:
Articles of Incorporation
Legal Requirements and Considerations When Drafting
When creating the Articles of Incorporation for your organization, there are several legal requirements and considerations to keep in mind. Here’s a simple guide to help you understand what you need to do:
Legal Requirements
Considerations
List of Things to Do
By following these steps and considering the legal requirements, you can successfully draft the Articles of Incorporation for your organization. This will help ensure that your organization is legally compliant and well-structured from the start.
Dos and don’ts of completing an application to incorporate a CIC
Need help with registering your Community Interest Company? We’ve identified the most common mistakes for each document you need to submit and compiled a list of Hints and Tips to get you on your way.
The facility to allow customers to complete an application and submit it online is quicker and easier to set up and in-built checks mean you are more likely to get it right first time. The cost for this is £65!! Compared to £86 for paper.
The ‘Online’ process
This requires the customer to upload two documents only, as the information input during the online journey populates the rest.
During the online process you are only required to upload:
The details regarding company type, the registered office address, director details etc. and Memorandum of association are obtained from information the customer inputs during the online journey.
The form CIC36
Most important tip of all is to not forget your community Interest Statement (CIC36 form)
and remember to keep the name consistent with the other documents.
Do
Don’t
Helpful Documents:
Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies Leaflet & Information pack
(Documents in Glossary & links below)
Community Interest Companies benefits of a community interest company leaflet
Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies: information pack
The Articles of Association
Do
Don’t
CIC Regulator
Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies – GOV.UK
What is the CIC Regulator?
The Community Interest Company (CIC) Regulator is a government body that oversees CICs in the UK. The Regulator ensures that CICs are working for the benefit of the community and not just for private profit. They help make sure that CICs follow the rules and regulations set out for them.
Why is the CIC Regulator Important?
The CIC Regulator is important because they:
Compliance and Reporting Obligations
What Do CICs Need to Do?
To stay compliant, CICs must follow certain rules and complete regular reports. Here’s what you need to know:
Tips for Staying Compliant
By understanding the role of the CIC Regulator and meeting your compliance and reporting obligations, you can ensure that your CIC operates smoothly and continues to benefit the community.
Companies House
Steps to Register a Company
Registering a company with Companies House in the UK involves several steps. Here’s a simple guide to help you through the process:
Nature of business: Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes
Submit your application online or by post. You’ll need to provide:
You’ll need at least 3 pieces of personal information about yourself and your shareholders or guarantors, for example:
Set up a private limited company: Register your company – GOV.UK
Documents and Signatures Needed
Additional Considerations
Opening Bank Accounts for Your CIC
Opening a bank account is an essential step for your Community Interest Company (CIC). Here’s a simple guide to help you through the process:
Steps to opening a bank account
Research Banks:
Look for banks that offer free banking periods for new businesses or CICs. This can help reduce costs in the early stages.
Prepare Documents:
Proof of Identity: Passport or driving license for all directors.
Proof of Address: Utility bills or bank statements for all directors.
Certificate of Incorporation: Proof that your CIC is legally registered.
Articles of Association: The rules governing your CIC.
Business Plan: Outline your CIC’s goals and operations.
Choose the Right Bank:
Compare different banks to find the best fit for your CIC’s needs. Consider factors like fees, services, and customer support.
Visit the Bank or Apply Online:
Some banks require you to visit a branch, while others allow you to apply online. Follow the bank’s instructions to complete the application.
Signatures:
Ensure all directors sign the necessary documents, such as the account application form and any agreements.
Receive Confirmation:
Once your application is approved, you’ll receive confirmation and details about your new account.
Banks Offering Free Banking Periods for New Businesses or CICs
Here are some banks that currently offer free banking periods for new businesses or CICs:
Free Period: 12 months
Details: Free banking for new businesses and those switching to HSBC
Free Period: 12 months
Details: Free banking for small businesses setting up their first business bank account
Free Period: 18 months
Details: Free banking for new businesses with a turnover of less than £1 million
Free Period: 18 months
Details: Free banking for new businesses
Free Period: Forever (with transaction fees)
Details: No monthly fees, pay per transaction
Free Period: Forever (most features free)
Details: Free banking for small businesses with fewer than 10 employees and less than £1.7 million in annual turnover
Survey Monkey
One of the non-negotiable principles of our CIC is that fishermen must engage with the CIC. We have all seen so-called fishing representatives speaking for the industry, and of course, the fishermen in Lyme Bay recognized they would need a shore-based representative to engage for them. But in the workshop, they chose to make answering surveys and providing information to the Chief Executive mandatory. This is crucial to transparent representation, so that when that representative speaks for them, they really are representing views gathered from the whole membership, and not just a few, or just the dominant voices.
We found SurveyMonkey to be fishermen-friendly. It is easy to answer on a mobile phone, tablet, or computer. This tool allows the representative to demonstrate and provide evidence that they are representing the views of the whole membership. SurveyMonkey helps us gather comprehensive and accurate feedback, ensuring that all voices are heard and represented.
Free Subscription
Basic Subscription
Summary
Creating a SurveyMonkey Account
Creating a Survey
Collecting Responses
Analysing Results
Tips for Using SurveyMonkey Effectively
Social Media
Delivery Considerations
We can all sign up to social media but understanding how to use it productively can be a full-time job. We decided to use retained services to manage social media for us, as this provided additional skills and resource and left the CEO time to focus upon other high-level tasks.
Hopes and aspirations
We would all love our social media platforms to go viral and generate incomes from our content, but our honest ambition for our channels was to try to create community space where we shared content about the four ports.
What platforms?
We selected three platforms to use as part of a targeted approach.
Choosing a handle
The profile name for your brand on social media platforms needs to be clear and obvious but also where possible have continuity. This helps with finding the brand online but can also bolster or undermine wider marketing efforts. For our CIC we were conscious we couldn’t use the full name due to character restrictions. On Twitter we opted for @LBFCIC on Instagram it was easier with @lymebayfishermanscic but note we still had to drop the apostrophe on Facebook we were able to use our full name.
When to post
We tested an array of timings for core social media posts and quickly found the evening was most effective for our organisation and our followers. That doesn’t mean that will always be the case if you are setting up a fishing CIC but it worth testing to see when is most effective to post as you build your following. We also found weekdays were the best to get more shares or syndication of our posts.
Consistency is key and if you can post 5-7 times a week on your platform you will start to build a presence. Please don’t feel you need to post multiple times per day unless you have something different or time related that needs to be shared – It is possible to over saturate by posting too much on social media, if this happens your followers will stop engaging.
Image quality and video
You don’t need to be a professional photographer to succeed on social media, but you do need to be selective with the images and photos you post.
We would recommend a core number of posts say 50% use good quality image and video that show case your organisation as professional.
The other 50% of images can be as high-quality beautiful shots in their own right, or simply raw and real pictures. The key here is to decide what type of organisation you want to be. For us we wanted to show the skill and heritage of our members, so we tried to use as many beautiful and inspiring images as we could. That said if you are not sure yet don’t over think it to start get posting and just ask yourself does my image show something interesting for me and equally something interesting for someone who doesn’t know what I do. If it’s interesting for others, people will start to share and follow your social media channels.
Direct messages
Direct or Private messages can be a useful way for individuals to contact your organisation through social media but remember when replying to be more formal as you are representing the organisation when answering these messages on its behalf. It is useful to set up auto responses if you are unable to check the private messages regularly and this can be simply diverting people to your organisations email address.
Content
Start simple and build up is the best advice we could give. We tested an array of content, but like many organisations using social media we found some worked well, some didn’t work as we hoped, and others didn’t generate traction as we expected and a number of posts success blew us away they were so positive.
But where do you start with telling your story? These are the sorts of prompts and questions we regularly ask ourselves:
Narrative:
Secondary narratives:
Comments
Comments on social media can give you the best and worst feeling depending on the content. Positive support is always wonderful to hear, and comments on your posts lets everyone see and celebrate positive feedback or support. Try to reply thanking people as much as you can as this helps to drive further engagement with other social media users. Negative comments will happen, some may be valid and others may be unjustified and from people trolling you. Trolls are online bullies. The key to navigating justified negativity in comments is to take on board any constructive criticism and acknowledge you are reviewing things in a very short polite response. Do not engage with unjustified or unfair trolls, report the comments to the platform and ignore them. Delete or hide the comment if you can, but sometimes it is best to wait a day before doing so, as they will likely move on and they will then not notice the post has been deleted. The more you engage in negative dialogue on social media the more trolls will engage so as hard as it may be do not give them oxygen. If in doubt, ask a professional as it can impact you wider brand and organisation.
Cross pollination
Having multiple platforms means you can use content in slightly different ways and cross pollinate and promote to the following you have – this is a great way to get someone new that follows you on say Facebook to start following you on Instagram for example. Expanding on such examples, short videos work well on Facebook and Instagram so it’s often good to cross reference new videos on other platforms to drive followers to watch them.
Promotion
Having social media is one thing, but it hugely beneficial to integrate it in to all you communications. Do you have your social media on your business cards, emails and most importantly website integration is a key part of driving social media success. If you can add social media handles to your website that is a great start but nowadays widgets that display content from your social media channels are an easy addition but a valuable way to demonstrate your activity and drive more followers, and in turn develop more awareness.
Paid promotion
We didn’t opt to do paid promotions as an organisation and chose to develop organically but we have to acknowledge it is an industry standard to drive growth and a sure way to drive rapid growth.
If you go down the route of paid advertising a small budget is often enough to drive big results. Although widely refuted many industry experts believe social media platforms throttle or choke organic traffic to business profiles that do not spend on advertising – small paid campaigns can circumvent such issues.
Learnings
Syndication is hugely powerful, and member sharing content is invaluable, but member generated content is highly effective on social media.
With hindsight we would make some content a condition of joining as members, such as a profile picture of each fisherman, a picture of their vessel and a few words about them such as what they fish, how long they have been fishing and what they love about it.
We understand that not everyone uses social media, and even if you do have an account, posting content—whether it’s text, photos, or videos—can sometimes feel daunting. That’s why we’ve created easy-to-follow, step-by-step guides to help you get started. Whether you’re setting up a Facebook or Instagram account for the first time or looking for guidance on how to share your content confidently, these resources are here to support you.
Please see the links below and in our glossary, to access these helpful guides:
Steps to Create Facebook and Instragram Account
Steps to Create Facebook and Instragram Posts
Website
Introduction to Creating a Website
In today’s digital age, having an online presence is essential, even for non-revenue generating organizations. A website serves as a central hub for information, helps build credibility, and allows you to reach a wider audience. Here are a few reasons why it’s important for your organization to have an online presence:
Visibility and Accessibility
A website makes it easy for people to find information about your organization at any time, from anywhere. Whether someone is looking for your contact details, learning about your mission, or seeking updates on your activities, a website ensures that this information is readily available.
Credibility
A professional website enhances your organization’s credibility and trustworthiness. In the modern world, people often judge the legitimacy of an organization by its online presence. A well-designed website can convey professionalism, reliability, and transparency, which are crucial for building trust with your audience.
Communication
A website provides a platform to communicate your mission, updates, and events to your audience. It allows you to share news, publish articles, and announce upcoming events. This continuous flow of information keeps your community informed and engaged with your activities.
Engagement
A website can engage your community through blogs, newsletters, and interactive features. By providing valuable content and opportunities for interaction, you can foster a sense of community and encourage active participation. Features like comment sections, forums, and social media integration can further enhance engagement.
Resource Centre
A website can serve as a resource centre for your audience. You can provide educational materials, downloadable resources, and links to relevant information. This can be particularly valuable for non-revenue generating organizations that aim to educate and support their community.
Fundraising and Support
Even if your organization is not focused on generating revenue, a website can be a powerful tool for fundraising and garnering support. You can create donation pages, showcase your projects, and highlight the impact of your work. This can help attract donors, volunteers, and partners who are aligned with your mission.
We were fortunate enough to receive funding to hire a web designer. However, if you do not have funding, don’t let this stop you from getting something online. You can start with a do-it-yourself (DIY) website and aim to update and improve it in the future if funding is secured.
Options for Do-It-Yourself Websites
There are several companies that offer low-cost, easy-to-use website domains and hosting services. Here are a few options:
These options provide affordable and accessible ways to create a website, ensuring that your organization can establish an online presence without significant upfront costs.
In case your initial funding is limited, and you need to create your own website, we have prepared step-by-step instructions to help you get your website online. For this exercise, we have chosen GoDaddy as the platform for the instructions. GoDaddy is a popular and user-friendly option that offers affordable plans, making it accessible for organizations with limited budgets. By following these instructions, you can establish an online presence quickly and efficiently, even without professional web design assistance. Once your website is up and running, you can always aim to update and improve it in the future as more funding becomes available.
Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up a GoDaddy Website
Tips for a Successful Website
Uploading Photographs to Your GoDaddy Website
Tips for Uploading Photographs
Lesson Learned
Articles of Association, (5) Objects
It wasn’t until we began applying for funding that we realised how important including your charitable objectives in your Articles of association, under section five “Objects”. Initially, we tried to address the gap by publishing a statement on our website. But when a potential funder asked to review our Articles of Association, we discovered that Section 5—where our charitable objectives should have been—was blank. We had used a downloadable template to create our Articles, intending to customise it later, but had overlooked this crucial section. As a result, we had to go through the formal process of amending our Articles with Companies House. This turned out to be both time-consuming and a barrier to accessing funding.
Social Media
Syndication is hugely powerful, and member sharing content is invaluable, but member generated content is highly effective on social media. With hindsight we would make some content a condition of joining as members, such as a profile picture of each fisherman, a picture of their vessel and a few words about them such as what they fish, how long they have been fishing and what they love about it.
Survey Monkey
Many fishermen feel that when they are completing industry surveys or consultations that questioned are manipulated at times to direct answers to pre-determined outcomes. Therefore, we decided that members should always get opportunity to comment if they wanted to say something about a question that has been posed. From that point onwards, I started adding an additional comments box to every question posed whether yes or no or multiple choice. However, just as a reminder, you have limited options on the free version, so we implemented this policy once we received funds to upgrade to a subscription (£288 per year).
Building Our Member-Focused Website
When we set out to build our website, our vision was clear: we wanted it to be a vibrant, informative space where visitors could learn about each of our members—their home ports, vessel sizes, fishing methods, and more. It was an exciting project, and while we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished, we also learned a lot along the way. Here are some of the key lessons we took from the experience:
Our members are the heart of what we do, and we wanted that to shine through on the website. But one thing we realized a bit late in the process was how important it is to gather personal details early on. A simple form or questionnaire circulated at the beginning would have saved us a lot of time and back-and-forth. It would have also ensured consistency in the information we shared across the site and our social media channels.
We found that having a clear template for member profiles—covering things like name, location, vessel length, fishing method, and a short bio—would have made the process smoother. Without a standard format, we ended up with a mix of styles and levels of detail, which made the site feel a bit uneven at first.
Photos of members and their vessels added a personal, authentic touch to the site. But again, we learned that it’s best to request high-quality images upfront, along with permission to use them. It’s a small step that makes a big difference in the final presentation.
Throughout the project, we realized how crucial it is to keep everyone in the loop. Regular updates, clear deadlines, and a shared understanding of the goals helped keep things on track—even when we hit a few bumps.
As we collected member information, we saw opportunities to use it across other platforms—like social media, newsletters, and promotional materials. Having a centralized, well-organized database of member profiles would have made this much easier.
For all supporting documents please use the links below:
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