Not-for-profit organisations

Some organisations in the VCS operate on a not-for-profit basis but cannot register as charities because their primary purpose is political change, e.g. Amnesty International, which has a separate trust for the areas of its work that have charitable objectives. 

Others operate as social businesses, where profits are used to further social objectives.  The introduction of a new form of legal entity, the Community Interest Companies (CIC), means that organisations can register their not-for-profit status and lock assets into their social purpose.