Giving to charity

Millions of us donate over £9bn a year to charities in the UK. Charities can only make the difference they do thanks to your support.

Which charity should I donate to?

Deciding which charity to donate to is a very personal decision. People donate for all sorts of reasons, but normally because someone asks them to or because they feel strongly about a particular issue. The best advice is to give to a charity you trust to support a cause you care about. You can get a good sense of how a charity makes a difference by looking at its website and annual reports.

How do I know what’s a good charity?

The first thing to check if the charity you’re thinking of donating to is definitely a registered charity. Sometimes people run scams where they pretend to be collecting for a fake charity, although these are rare. Charities put a lot of effort into making sure they are spending your donations in a way that will make the biggest difference

In general, charities about what the most effective way to spend donations is in order to make the biggest difference. There are a few quick things which can tell you if a charity takes its impact seriously:

• Do they have up-to-date accounts on their entry on the Charity Commission website ?
• Do they explain how they’ll use your donation to make a difference?
• Are they open and transparent – can you find out information about them from their website?