Three Different Questions
| Concept | Question It Answers | Typical Evidence and Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | Who physically has the item at the observed time? | Dated sighting or receipt; does not establish title or assigned responsibility |
| Assigned custody | Who is recorded as accountable for its care? | Custodian assignment and acknowledgment; does not establish ownership |
| Ownership | What evidence establishes title and relevant restrictions? | Acquisition/title documents and applicable terms; a location or custodian entry alone cannot answer |
This three-way distinction is an OpenAid teaching frame. Actual legal ownership depends on the relevant evidence and law, rather than which label the organization prefers.
Read One Fictional Register Row
All names and records here are invented. Register tag A-0412 identifies a projector, location Field Office B, custodian Sam Ortiz. Staff saw the projector at Field Office B during a visit. A purchase invoice is addressed to a partner organization. The file lacks the grant terms concerning ownership.
The supplied packet has one possession evidence type, the sighting, and one custody evidence type, the register entry. It has zero established ownership conclusions. That count describes this small packet, not a rule about how many documents prove title. The register identifies an assigned custodian; it does not establish that the assignment was acknowledged or remains current.
Why Location and Custody Cannot Settle Title
An item can be present at an office under a loan, partner arrangement or other terms. None is established here. The partner-addressed invoice raises a question without settling it. The missing grant clause cannot be replaced by an assumption that the organization bought, owns or may transfer the projector. A signed internal custody entry would still describe custody rather than automatically transferring ownership.
Who Checks Ownership and Transfer Authority
The responsible finance, legal and asset owners obtain the acquisition/title evidence and actual funder or partner terms, check applicable authority and seek qualified advice where needed. Agreement between staff cannot choose legal ownership. Permission to move, lend, donate or dispose remains separate from physical possession and unresolved until the actual evidence and rules support it. This reference supplies no transfer authorization or inspection schedule.
Institutional Examples and Source Scope
CC8 section 8.1, November 2024, covers England and Wales charity asset records and disposal controls. UNFPA's June 2026 policy, paragraphs 66-71, separates custody acknowledgment, location and movement within UNFPA. GWSCPA's April 2023 fixed-assets guidance discusses supporting documentation and approval; its inventory cadence is not adopted. NCVO's July 2023 physical-assets guidance considers governing documents and legal form in charity closure, not ordinary disposal permission. Oregon DOJ's recommendations, point 4, discuss noncash donation records, not proof of every asset's title. All were checked November 1, 2026.
Related Tasks
Use register versus inspection for disagreements between records and observations, the movement and custody record for an authorized movement, and the disposal preparation guide for a separate decision pack.