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Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

Charity rating & review

90/100 Clarity Score · 5 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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90 /100

Clarity score

Exceptional

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Quick answer

Is Royal Society for the Protection of Birds a good charity?

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds scores 90/100 (5 stars, Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£195m total income, 75% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Stevenage · UK-wide · SG19 2DL Reg 207076 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Royal Society for the Protection of Birds do?

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is a registered charity (no. 207076) working in animals across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 75% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 3 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈8% a year). 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.

Summarised from public filings — Royal Society for the Protection of Birds hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS scores 90 out of 100 (5 stars). 75% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

What is Royal Society for the Protection of Birds?

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has a Clarity Score of 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 207076. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Animals. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £195m, with 75% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 3 months of operating costs. 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

90/100

5★ · Exceptional

Cause spend

75%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£195m

Latest year 2025

Reserves

3 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£4.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 26% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How does ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS scores higher than.

Income band (£10m+)91stpercentile

Scores higher than 91% of 943 charities in its income band · 90/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).

Animals charities84thpercentile

Scores higher than 84% of 370 charities in this cause · 90/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

How reliable is Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2025
Filing date
Profile reviewed

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Open Government Licence v3.0 .

What is Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's Beacon report?

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from UK regulator 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 ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS
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, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three).

100% 12 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.

97/100

Financial Health metrics for ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

100% 3 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth

+20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between.

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

0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt.

80% 8% · 4/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

55/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below.

60% 75% · 6/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income).

50% 25p per £1 income · 5/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

100/100

Community Support metrics for ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between.

100% 13,000 volunteers / 2486 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What is Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's Clarity Score?

90/100 total · Exceptional · 5 of 5 stars

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

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
97/100
Financial Health
55/100
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 oversight12 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

97/100

Reserves (months of cash)3 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets8% · 4/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

55/100

Program expense ratio75% · 6/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency25p per £1 income · 5/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

100/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio13,000 volunteers / 2486 staff · 10/10 pts

How much does Royal Society for the Protection of Birds raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings

ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS revenue and expenses for 2025
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £195m
Total expenditure £177m
Charitable activities £134m 76%
Fundraising £43m 24%
Governance & admin £545k 0%
76%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £177m spent

  • Charitable activities76%
  • Fundraising24%
  • Governance0%

What trust indicators does Royal Society for the Protection of Birds have?

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

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    12 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    2486 employees · 13,000 volunteers (5:1 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 207076

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • John Kenneth Mason since 2021
  • Dr Benjamin Lian Caldecott since 2022
  • James Nicholas Lowther since 2022
  • William James Sutherland since 2023
  • Susanna Clare Dinnage since 2024
  • Catherine Thea Dugmore since 2024
  • Jane Elizabeth Reeves since 2024
  • Sir Andrew Thomas Cahn Chair · since 2024
  • Simon Patrick Loftus Butcher since 2024
  • Dr Grace Deepa Senapathi since 2025
  • Emyr Lloyd Williams since 2025
  • Stephen Peers Aston since 2025
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below).

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated.

How have Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's finances changed over five years?

£0k £48800k £97600k £146400k £195200k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £142,383k Spending 2021: £121,618k Cause spend 2021: £89,626k Income 2022: £157,699k Spending 2022: £143,112k Cause spend 2022: £106,258k Income 2023: £164,702k Spending 2023: £164,817k Cause spend 2023: £120,619k Income 2024: £169,877k Spending 2024: £167,994k Cause spend 2024: £125,280k Income 2025: £194,964k Spending 2025: £176,791k Cause spend 2025: £134,122k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts

What are the key facts about Royal Society for the Protection of Birds?

Overall score
90/100 (5★)
Income
£195m
Cause spend
75% of expenditure
Reg number
207076
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
3 months
Trustees
12
Accounts year
2025
Filing
up to date

Where ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS sits

The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.

Similar animals charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

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How do you add Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's rating to your site?

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What red flags does Royal Society for the Protection of Birds have?

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Royal Society for the Protection of Birds a good charity? +

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds scores 90 out of 100 (5 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 75% 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 Royal Society for the Protection of Birds a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 207076). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/207076. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's charity number? +

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's charity number is 207076. Check that number on the official register (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI) or this CharityCompare profile before you donate — scammers sometimes reuse real numbers on fake appeals.

What is Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's charity rating? +

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds scores 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars — Exceptional). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from UK regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). Stars use the same bands as those labels — 90+ is 5★ Exceptional. It is not an impact ranking.

Does Royal Society for the Protection of Birds have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile). For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.

How much of my donation reaches Royal Society for the Protection of Birds? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, 75% of Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's total spending went to charitable activities (3-yr avg across disclosed years). That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift.

What are Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's overheads? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 25% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 26% of total expenditure at Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's chief executive is paid — where disclosure rules apply, senior pay appears in the trustees' annual report on the Charity Commission register.

How much income does Royal Society for the Protection of Birds receive? +

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reported £195m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's accounts up to date? +

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

Where is Royal Society for the Protection of Birds based? +

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is listed at Stevenage · UK-wide · SG19 2DL and operates UK-wide, focused on animals.

How does CharityCompare score Royal Society for the Protection of Birds? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 points — filing history, trustees, policies), Financial Health (30 — reserves, income trend, debt), Financial Efficiency (20 — cause spend and fundraising cost, on a graduated scale) and Community Support (10 — volunteer-to-staff ratio). An open statutory inquiry scores 0. The score measures reporting on paper, not programme impact. CharityCompare is free for donors, takes no commission on donations, and scores cannot be bought.

How often is this page updated? +

This profile was last updated on 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's most recent accounts cover 2025. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.