Grand Cayman, 9 December 2021

The Registrar of Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) extends season’s greetings to the public and the NPO sector. During this special season of generous giving, the Registrar encourages the community to be extra vigilant with charitable donations to reduce the likelihood of funds being used for unlawful purposes.

The community is asked to be on guard for potential fraud, scams, and cybercrime, which are typically heightened during the holidays. In particular, the Registrar suggests the following tips:

• Ask pertinent questions before making donations  o What NPO are you collecting for?
  o Is the NPO registered with the Registrar?
  o How will the collections be used?

•  Verify that the entity is a registered NPO in the Cayman Islands, by visiting the General Registry’s website
• If you suspect foul play, notify the Police and lodge a Complaint Form with the Registrar via [email protected].

More than 530 non-profits have registered with the Registrar since 2017 and the majority of NPOs comply with their legal obligations under the Non-Profit Organisations Act (2020 Revision).

The Registrar continues to promote compliance with the legal framework for NPOs and last held a virtual outreach session on 17 November 2021. The session was attended by a select group of controllers and senior officers, most of whom represented newly registered NPOs (from 2020 onwards).

Best practices for good governance, annual return filings, and counter-financing of terrorism were among the topics covered in the hour-long session. In due course, the Registrar will upload the recorded session to the General Registry’s website for public reference.

The Registrar is part of the General Registry, under the Ministry of Financial Services and Commerce.