Max Keene
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Advice wanted: long-term vehicle options for a small charity
Lizzy Hudspith-Spence Development officer / Project Co-ordinator at Euphoric Circus CIO Posted 1 month ago
Hi everyone,
I’m looking for advice from trustees, senior managers, or anyone who has experience buying, leasing or managing a vehicle on behalf of a charity or non-profit.
We are a small peripatetic charity, so we travel between different sites and need to transport quite a lot of equipment for our sessions. Having reliable transport is essential for our work.
We previously bought an older car outright, thinking this would be the most cost-effective option. However, it has ended up costing us a lot in maintenance and repairs, and we have now been advised not to put much more money into it. Although it is currently running, we are aware it may not last much longer.
We are now reconsidering what the best long-term solution might be, whether that is:
buying a newer vehicle
leasing a vehicle
buying or leasing a van
hiring when needed
using another arrangement we may not have considered
I’d really appreciate hearing from other charities or non-profits who have had to make similar decisions.
In particular:
What option did your organisation choose, and why?
Did you buy outright, lease, hire, or fundraise specifically for a vehicle?
Have you found a van better than a car for charity use, especially around equipment, insurance, tax or personal use?
Were there any governance issues trustees needed to consider before agreeing the purchase or lease?
What costs should we be factoring in beyond the obvious ones, e.g. insurance, servicing, MOT, repairs, tax, breakdown cover, storage, mileage?
Did you get advice from an accountant, insurance broker, solicitor, or vehicle specialist?
Is there anything you wish you had known before committing?
Any practical advice, lessons learned, or questions we should be asking before making a decision would be very welcome.
Thanks in advance.
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