Check a Charity

Before you donate to any charity, see if it appears on the official public register for its part of the UK. Take the charity's name and registration number, enter them into the register search for that nation, and make sure both match the official record.

Which register to search

The UK has three separate registers: the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), which keeps a register of all charities in Scotland, and the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. A charity can appear on more than one register, reflecting the nations where it operates. In England and Wales, most charities with an annual income over £5,000 must register, and a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) must register whatever its income.

In England and Wales, the Charity Commission search page (gov.uk/checkcharity) lets users enter a charity name or charity number. The returned entry includes the charity number, name, reporting status, income and spending, and contact details.

What the register entry tells you

Once you have the right register entry, study it for signs of credibility or risk:

• The overview shows whether the charity's reporting is up to date or late. A charity that has been removed from the register should not be presenting itself as a registered charity.
• The entry breaks down what the charity does and where, who its trustees are, its financial history, and its accounts and annual returns.
• Charity numbers are not the same as company numbers. Many charities are also companies and have both, so check that the number you were given is the charity number and that it matches the name.

Not every genuine charity appears on the register for England and Wales. Small charities with an income under £5,000 do not have to register. Some "excepted" charities, including churches and chapels of some Christian denominations, Scout and Guide groups and charitable funds of the armed forces, do not have to register unless their income passes a threshold set in the Commission's guidance. "Exempt" charities, such as most universities in England and many national museums and galleries, cannot register because another body regulates them. Do not automatically rule a charity as fake just because it does not appear, but ask it who regulates it.

If a charity does not check out

Checking the official register alone is not enough for fundraising. Look for the Fundraising Badge, the logo that says "registered with Fundraising Regulator", and check the Fundraising Regulator's Directory of organisations that have committed to fundraise in line with the Code of Fundraising Practice. A face-to-face collector should have a licence from the local authority licensing team, or from the Metropolitan Police in Greater London.

If the name or number comes back empty or does not match, do not give any financial information. Contact the charity directly using details from the register rather than from the appeal. Report a suspected fraudulent collection or appeal to Report Fraud, the service that replaced Action Fraud, online or on 0300 123 2040; in Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101. Report an unlicensed collector to the local authority licensing team, raise concerns about how a charity is run with its regulator, and complain about fundraising practice to the Fundraising Regulator.

Use the official register as the first step before even looking at the website or email used for the fundraising pitch. Only once the charity name, number and register entry match should you move on to the gift itself.