Use cause spend (charitable activities ÷ total expenditure) rather than a vague “admin” slogan. A common band is about 70–90%. Lowest overhead is not automatically best — see charity admin costs UK and what is a good spending ratio for a charity?.
Charity finances
What is a good admin cost ratio for a charity?
In short: There is no single perfect number — context matters. Many well-run medium and large charities spend 70–90% on charitable activities (cause spend). Compare peers of similar size in the same cause rather than chasing zero admin. Related: what is a good spending ratio for a charity?
Data from CharityCompare editorial, last updated .
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