Charity Facts

How do I tell whether a charity is performing well?


No reputable charity will mind you asking questions before you support them. Ask them about their achievements to date and perhaps what they achieved in the past year. Ask what is unique about what they do and what makes them different from other organisations that have similar aims. You could also ask them what they intend to achieve in the future and how they are planning to go about it.

Much of this information can be gathered from their literature, website, annual report and from Guidestar UK

Make sure you avoid simplistic comparisons between charities, no two organisations are alike and seemingly identical charities can often have very different approaches.

The strength of the charity sector lies in its diversity and the real tests of performance can therefore only be:

‘Is the organisation achieving its objectives?’ and ‘Am I comfortable with the way these are being achieved?’