NPO Corner – “Prepare for regulatory issues now”

Most non-profit organisations in The Bahamas should be aware of the Non-Profits Organisations Act, 2019 (“the Act”) and should already be registered or in the process of submitting an application for registration because it is now a legal requirement for active non-profit organisaitons to be registered under the Act.

As a new registrant or potential registrant under the Act, I recommend that your organisation take necessary steps to include a qualified lawyer as part of its network. Yes, please make sure that the lawyer is Call to the Supreme Court of The Bahamas or is Registered as an Associate with the Supreme Court of The Bahamas. As part of your due diligence you can make a phone call or send an email inquiry to the Registrar of the Supreme Court of The Bahamas to confirm the lawyer’s status.

Photo by Melinda Gimpel on Unsplash

A casual read of Part IV – Powers of the Registrar, and Part V – Record-Keeping and Reporting of the Act along with the penalties for breach of the Act should convince your organisation to take steps and start seeking out a qualified lawyer or two for your network.

Having speedy access to legal advice or consultation could be critical when having to respond to regulatory issues which require a different skill set that you may find in a Litigation Counsel.

So a word to the wise … before you need a lawyer start thinking about suitable qualified lawyers who you can approach now and find out whether they have experience in contentious and non-contentious regulatory matters.

Not only that a word to the wise is sufficient but planning ahead will improve the quality of your decisions as you begin your search.

All the best!

Feel free to direct any questions to Kean Smith at kean@smithkas.com or comment below.

Non-Profit Organisations Registration Workshop

Our project, NPO Project No. 9, was concluded at the close of business day on Thursday 8 October, 2020.

During the run up to the deadline, I was invited to represent the project on “The Hit Back with Nahaja Black” on Guardian Radio 96.9 FM on 28 and 30 September, 2020. The workshop aired live on radio and streamed live online was organised and sponsored by the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development in conjunction with Civil Society Bahamas. The panelists contributing to the workshop were:

Dr. Jacinta Higgs, Director Gender & Women Affairs, Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development

Ms. Dellereese M. Grant, Assistant Registrar, Registrar General’s Office

Mr. Simon C. Rolle, Acting Assistant Registrar General, Registrar General’s Office

Dr Anthony Hamilton, President – Civil Society Bahamas

Mr. Kean Smith, Director and Project Manager of NPO Project No. 9

Mrs. Prodesta Moore, President & CEO – Bahamas Urban Youth Development Center

selective focus photography of gray stainless steel condenser microphone
Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

If the missed the workshop then I recommend that you contact Guardian 96.9 FM to secure a recording of the programme. I believe that the presenters provided excellent resource material on the process of registering and the benefits for non-profit organisations registering with the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development.

Please feel free to direct any questions or comments to Kean Smith at kean@smithkas.com