Homelessness · Reg 289868
Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association
Charity rating & review
73/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Needs improvement
Quick answer
Is Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association a good charity?
Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association scores 73/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£102m total income, 76% 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.
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What does Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association do?
Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association is a registered charity (no. 289868) working in homelessness across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 76% of spending to charitable activities, 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 — Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →
In short: SENSE, THE NATIONAL DEAFBLIND AND RUBELLA ASSOCIATION scores 73 out of 100 (3 stars). 76% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.
What is Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association?
Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association has a Clarity Score of 73 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 289868. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Homelessness. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £102m, with 76% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.
Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .
Overall score
73/100
3★ · Needs improvement
Cause spend
76%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
100/100
Finance beacon
Income
£102m
Latest year 2025
Reserves
—
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
On time
Charity Commission
£15.0 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 6% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high
How does SENSE, THE NATIONAL DEAFBLIND AND RUBELLA ASSOCIATION compare?
Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers SENSE, THE NATIONAL DEAFBLIND AND RUBELLA ASSOCIATION scores higher than.
Scores higher than 34% of 943 charities in its income band · 73/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).
Scores higher than 26% of 243 charities in this cause · 73/100 vs 79 peer average (marker).
How reliable is Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association'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 Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association'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
| 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% | 6 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.
43/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 0% | Not stated · 0/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 90% | 9/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 80% | 16% · 4/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
85/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 70% | 76% · 7/10 pts (3-year average) |
| Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 100% | 7p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) |
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
30/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 30% | 2,000 volunteers / 2956 staff · 3/10 pts |
What is Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association's Clarity Score?
73/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars
Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
100/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
43/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
85/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
30/100
How much does Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association raise and spend?
Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £102m | — |
| Total expenditure | £104m | — |
| Charitable activities | £79m | 76% |
| Fundraising | £6.9m | 7% |
| Governance & admin | £43k | 0% |
Where does the money go?
Latest accounts (2025) · £104m spent
- Charitable activities76% · £79m
- Fundraising7% · £6.9m
- Governance0% · £43k
- Other spending18% · £19m
What trust indicators does Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association 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)
6 trustees on the Charity Commission register
-
Workforce on register
2956 employees · 2,000 volunteers (1:1 volunteer-to-staff)
Fundraising Regulator
Not listed as member
Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.
Check Fundraising Regulator →Official register
Reg 289868
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- Simon Terry Jones since 2019
- Mark Nicholas Cammies Chair · since 2024
- Vivienne Helen Hoskins since 2022
- Benjamin Francis Cooper since 2022
- PHILIP CHARLES ROBERTSHAW since 2024
- Jeremy Christian Larsson since 2024
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.
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 Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association's finances changed over five years?
- 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 Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association?
- Overall score
- 73/100 (3★)
- Income
- £102m
- Cause spend
- 76% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 289868
- Scope
- UK-wide
- Reserves
- —
- Trustees
- 6
- Accounts year
- 2025
- Filing
- up to date
How does SENSE, THE NATIONAL DEAFBLIND AND RUBELLA ASSOCIATION compare, and where else can you look?
Where SENSE, THE NATIONAL DEAFBLIND AND RUBELLA ASSOCIATION sits
The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.
Similar homelessness charities
Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score
- ROUNDABOUT LIMITED 98/100 · £9.4m
- DEAFBLIND UK 98/100 · £3.6m
- SIGHT SUPPORT HULL AND EAST YORKSHIRE 96/100 · £666k
- Churches Housing Action Team (Devon) Ltd 95/100 · £489k
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Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
Is Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association a good charity? +
Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association scores 73 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 76% 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 Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association a legitimate charity? +
Yes — Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 289868). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/289868. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.
What is Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association's charity number? +
Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association's charity number is 289868. 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 Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association's charity rating? +
Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association scores 73 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Needs improvement). 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 Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association have reviews and complaints? +
CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts. For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.
How much of my donation reaches Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association? +
According to its 2025 regulator filing, 76% of Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association'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 Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association's overheads? +
According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 6% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 6% of total expenditure at Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association'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 Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association receive? +
Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association reported £102m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.
Are Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association'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 Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association based? +
Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association is listed at London · UK-wide · N1 9LG and operates UK-wide, focused on homelessness.
How does CharityCompare score Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association? +
We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association'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 Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association'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.