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ACAT’s Training Newsletter
February 2026
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Hi Guest,
When was the last time you said thank you? As part of session two of our Being a Treasurer: The Basics course, we talk about donor communication and saying thank you. Thanking your church’s supporters may not be at the top of your list. With the need to balance the books and every group in the church asking for just a little more for their ministry, it can seem like the priority should be asking for money, not just thanking those for the money you already have.
Saying thank you gives you a chance not only to express your gratitude but also to show supporters how their money has been used and the positive effect it has. It can show your supporters that ongoing financial support does not simply pay salaries or buy biscuits; it makes a real difference in your church’s community.
When was the last time you said thank you? Is it about time you did it again?
So, to get the ball rolling, I want to say thank you to you. As a member of ACAT and by attending our training sessions, you are supporting our mission and making a real difference to churches up and down the country. You are helping them have the confidence that they are managing their money well and being effective stewards of what God has entrusted to them. Thank you.
For the rest of this term, we have some exciting courses, some of which I hope you will find will aid you in your ministry. At the end of February, we have a very popular introduction to the new Charities SORP. This course is in high demand, and we have decided to cap numbers at 150, so please do book early if you plan on attending. We do, however, hope to run this course later in the year if you are unable to attend this month.
In mid-March, we have three of our existing courses: one on keeping simple church accounts, covering receipts and payments; one on accruals accounting to help you navigate its complexities; and one on Gift Aid, ensuring you’re making the most of the tax relief from the donations your church receives.
Lastly, we have partnered with Unity Trust Bank to run a course at the end of March, focusing on banking for faith groups. This course aims to help you understand the relationship between the bank and the church and to show you how you can improve it.
I trust you find something of worth in this term’s training, and do keep looking on our website for new courses added.
God Bless,
Cath Fox
Administration Officer (Training)
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Spring Training Programme
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Charities SORP 2026: an introduction
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Are you grappling with the new changes presented by the introduction of the new SORP?
With the new SORP being released last year, many churches are scratching their heads, wondering just what it all means in the real world, and how it’s going to affect the way they have to do their financial reporting. We’ve put together this introductory course to give you a clear idea of what the new SORP means for you and your church. The course explains the key changes in a clear, practical way, helping you approach them with confidence and peace of mind. As our course leads put it, “It’s not as complicated as it appears.”
Who is it for?
For all those involved in preparing their church’s accounts on an accruals basis and those wishing to understand the changes the new SORP brings.
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Keeping Simple Church Accounts
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Looking for a straightforward introduction to keeping simple church accounts?
Learn the essentials of Receipts and Payments accounting, legal requirements, and internal reporting to grow your confidence in managing church finances.
Who is it for?
This course is designed for church/charity treasurers operating simple Receipts and Payments accounting as well as anyone involved in bookkeeping these accounts. Interested trustees and finance managers are also welcome.
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Gift Aid: Maximising the benefits and reducing the pitfalls
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Are you adding to your church income by making the most of the tax relief from the donations your church receives?
This course is a guide for churches on how to correctly reclaim as much Gift Aid as possible, including what donations can (and cannot) be Gift Aided, and the records that need to be kept.
Who is it for?
This course is designed for church treasurers, trustees, finance managers, and anyone involved in gift aid management and submissions.
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Accruals Accounting – Accounts for Larger Churches
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Two-session course
Date and time: 14 March 2 PM – 4 PM, 21 March 10 AM – 12 Noon
Confused or overwhelmed by the complexities of accruals accounting or simply looking for assurance that you are doing things correctly?
Why not join our two-session course on accruals accounting and understand more about the concept of accruals basis accounting?
This is a two-session course, and we highly recommend that you attend both sessions if at all possible.
Who is it for?
This course is designed for church treasurers, trustees, finance managers, and anyone involved in managing church finances, where your church is required, or has chosen, to use accruals accounting.
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Banking for Faith Groups – Key considerations
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Everything you need to know about banking and building strong communications.
Learn what key documents you will need to have to open an account for any bank to begin the account opening process; internal risk management and controls, how to select the right banking products; communicating with your bank; fully understand the importance of keeping your bank mandates updated. Consideration for cash flow and liquidity requirements.
Who is it for?
Treasurers, finance teams or anyone involved in day-to-day banking and the operation of bank accounts.
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Charities Engagement Team – Upcoming webinars
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The Charity Commission for England and Wales registers and regulates charities to ensure that the public can support charities with confidence. Through regular events, the Charities Engagement Team supports trustees and charity leaders to manage their charities effectively.
Courses for February, March and April are open for bookings.
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To ensure our courses start promptly, bookings close 24 hours before online sessions begin. To help with this, please do get your bookings in in good time.
If you have any trouble booking please do get in touch with Cath on training@acat.uk.com.
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If you have previously taken one of our courses, and you have a spare 5 minutes, we would greatly appreciate you leaving us your feedback; any feedback helps us to continue to develop and enhance the training we currently offer as well as new courses in the future.
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Thank you for your support.
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That’s it for our training newsletter for February. As a brief reminder, the bookings for our online courses generally close 24 hours prior to their start date, and several days before our in-person events. Don’t forget to visit our website and follow us on social media to keep up to date with ACAT’s latest news, events and courses.
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Charity no. 1072733 Registered address: Association of Church Accountants and Treasurers, C/O KM Accountants, 1st Floor, Block C, The Wharf, Manchester Road, Burnley, BB11 1JG.
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