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KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION

Charity rating & review

60/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
60 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Is KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION a good charity?

KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION scores 60/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 35% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts up to date. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Sheffield · UK-wide · ST5 5BJ Reg 1173328 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION is a registered charity (no. 1173328) working in children & youth across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 35% of spending to charitable activities, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been declining over recent years. CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes.

In short: KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION scores 60 out of 100 (2 stars). 35% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION has a Clarity Score of 60 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1173328. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £2.9m, with 35% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. 1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

60/100

2★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

35%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£2.9m

Latest year 2021

Reserves

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£1.5 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 65% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION compares

Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.

Income band (£1m–£5m)60 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 14% of 3,014 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities60 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 12% of 3,988 charities in this cause.

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2021
Filing date
2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
Profile reviewed
2026-06-25

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons require information beyond public filings.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales . Open Government Licence v3.0 .

Beacon report

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from Charity Commission filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Filing history (5 years)

100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts.

100% 15/15 pts
Trustee oversight

Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag).

100% 10 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return.

100% 10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

33/100

Financial Health metrics for KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = 15 pts · 1–3 months = 7 pts · under 1 month or over 3 years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

0% Not stated · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth

Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts.

100% 10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts.

0% Not stated · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

0/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts.

0% 35% · 0/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

Spends ≤ £0.20 to raise £1 = 10 pts · £0.21–£0.35 = 5 pts · above £0.35 = 0 pts (fundraising cost ÷ income).

0% 66p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

100/100

Community Support metrics for KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts.

100% 3,000 volunteers / 98 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

60/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 of 4 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
33/100
Financial Health
0/100
Financial Efficiency
100/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight10 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

33/100

Reserves (months of cash)Not stated · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assetsNot stated · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

0/100

Program expense ratio35% · 0/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency66p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

100/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio3,000 volunteers / 98 staff · 10/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £2.9m
Total expenditure £3.0m
Charitable activities £2.4m 81%
Fundraising £573k 19%
Governance & admin £6k 0%
81%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £3.0m spent

  • Charitable activities81%
  • Fundraising19%
  • Governance0%

Trust indicators

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    10 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    98 employees · 3,000 volunteers (31:1 volunteer-to-staff)

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 1173328

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Matthew Kemp since 2024
  • Sophie Borman since 2024
  • Zoe Garnett since 2024
  • James Ashenden since 2025
  • Nuala Mary Devlin since 2025
  • Hayley Williams since 2025
  • Grace Buffery since 2025
  • Corey Chavda since 2025
  • Joseph Temelkovski since 2025
  • Giselle Pearson since 2025
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK Charity Commission data. Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio (10), fundraising efficiency (10). Kept at 20% to avoid punishing legitimate infrastructure costs.

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Translated to stars: 90–100 Exceptional (4★), 75–89 Good (3★), 60–74 Needs improvement (2★), below 60 Poor (1★).

Five-year trends

£0k £1800k £3600k £5400k £7200k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £2,934k Spending 2021: £2,997k Cause spend 2021: £2,425k Income 2022: £6,443k Spending 2022: £6,528k Cause spend 2022: £2,218k Income 2023: £6,272k Spending 2023: £6,650k Cause spend 2023: £2,466k Income 2024: £6,823k Spending 2024: £6,628k Cause spend 2024: £2,479k Income 2025: £6,343k Spending 2025: £6,309k Cause spend 2025: £1,863k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
60/100 (2★)
Income
£2.9m
Cause spend
35% of expenditure
Reg number
1173328
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
Trustees
10
Accounts year
2021
Filing
up to date

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION's charity rating? +

KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION scores 60 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Needs improvement). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from Charity Commission filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10).

Is KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION a good charity to donate to? +

KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION scores 60 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 35% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are up to date. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate.

Is KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1173328. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION's Charity Commission registration number? +

KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION's registration number is 1173328. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1173328

How much income does KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION receive? +

KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION reported £2.9m total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 35% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 65% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 65%.

Are KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION based? +

KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION is listed at Sheffield · UK-wide · ST5 5BJ and operates UK-wide, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION? +

We analyse Charity Commission annual accounts using three-year averages for program expense, fundraising efficiency, and overhead; working capital from reserves vs average expenditure; liabilities-to-assets from the latest balance sheet when available. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons are not yet assessed from public data alone. See our methodology for weights and thresholds.

Does CharityCompare recommend donating to KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION? +

No. CharityCompare provides independent scores and facts from official filings. We do not tell you where to donate or earn commission from charities.

How can I compare KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put KEELE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.