Non-profit organisations compliance in South Africa
Non-profit companies, trusts and voluntary associations, and the funders who ask about their compliance.
Laws that usually apply
Non-profit companies have filing, record and director duties under the Companies Act.
Donor, beneficiary and volunteer records are personal information, and funders often ask for evidence of compliance.
Private bodies usually keep a PAIA manual and handle access requests.
Registration with the NPO Directorate, annual reporting and beneficial ownership information, following the 2022 amendments.
Tax-exempt and public benefit status come with conditions and returns.
Paid staff have the usual basic conditions of employment.
Employers register and contribute for their employees.
Employers register for injury-on-duty cover.
King IV is widely used as a governance reference, and funders often look for similar practices.
Templates you will probably need
What customers, tenders and funders often ask to see
- Privacy notice and consent wording for donors
- Information Officer registration
- Governance and financial policies
- Evidence of tax-exempt status
NPO registration is covered by a framework guide and controls but not yet a self-assessment. Fundraising and grant-specific conditions are outside what we cover.
How ComplianceDesk helps
- Take the self-assessments above and see your gaps, free and without an account.
- Save a result to your organisation and each gap becomes a task with an owner and a due date.
- Fill in a template, save it to your Policy Library and track who has acknowledged it.
- Choose the filing dates that apply on the compliance calendar and get an email before each one.
Questions
Does using ComplianceDesk make us compliant?
No. The self-assessments show where you have gaps against each law and give you tasks, templates and reminders to close them. Compliance depends on what you actually do, and the content is a guide that an attorney should review before you rely on it.
Can I try the self-assessments without an account?
Yes. Every self-assessment is free to take, and your answers stay in your browser until you choose to save a result to an organisation.
Track it all in one place
ComplianceDesk turns each law into controls with owners, due dates and evidence.