Education · Reg 1188705
Sos Africa
Charity rating & review
64/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Needs improvement
Quick answer
Is Sos Africa a good charity?
Sos Africa scores 64/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£313k total income, cause-spend split not disclosed). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.
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How can you give to SOS AFRICA?
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What does Sos Africa do?
Sos Africa is a registered charity (no. 1188705) working in education in Bath · BA4 5AS. Its latest Charity Commission filing does not disclose a charitable-activities spend split in recent filings, holding roughly 0 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been declining (≈19% 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 — Sos Africa hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →
In short: SOS AFRICA scores 64 out of 100 (3 stars). Cause-spend split not disclosed in recent filings. Review the pillar breakdown below.
What is Sos Africa?
Sos Africa has a Clarity Score of 64 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1188705. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Education. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £313k, cause-spend split not disclosed in that filing. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 0 months of operating costs. 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
64/100
3★ · Needs improvement
Cause spend
N/D
Not disclosed in filings
Accountability
100/100
Finance beacon
Income
£313k
Latest year 2025
Reserves
0 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
On time
Charity Commission
Fundraising efficiency not stated · Overhead not disclosed · Website on register · Confidence: medium
How does SOS AFRICA compare?
Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers SOS AFRICA scores higher than.
Scores higher than 34% of 972 charities in its income band · 64/100 vs 70 peer average (marker).
Scores higher than 24% of 579 charities in this cause · 64/100 vs 74 peer average (marker).
How reliable is Sos Africa's data?
- Source
- Charity Commission (England & Wales)
- Accounts year
- 2025
- Filing date
- Profile reviewed
Medium confidence — some data missing or late
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 Sos Africa'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% | 4 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.
13/100
| 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% | 0 months · 0/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 40% | 4/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 0% | Not stated · 0/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
50/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 0% | Not stated · 0/10 pts |
| Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 100% | 0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) |
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 200 volunteers / 1 staff · 10/10 pts |
What is Sos Africa's Clarity Score?
64/100 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.
13/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
50/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
100/100
How much does Sos Africa raise and spend?
Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £313k | — |
| Total expenditure | £308k | — |
| Charitable activities | Not disclosed | — |
Where does the money go?
Latest accounts (2025) · £308k spent. Not disclosed in this filing — the Charity Commission return omits the charitable-activities split.
What trust indicators does Sos Africa 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)
4 trustees on the Charity Commission register
-
Workforce on register
1 employees · 200 volunteers (200:1 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 1188705
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- Kim Williams since 2020
- Dr Matthew Lloyd Davies Chair · since 2020
- Alexandre Dyer since 2021
- Gavin Austin Thompson since 2022
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 Sos Africa'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 Sos Africa?
- Overall score
- 64/100 (3★)
- Income
- £313k
- Cause spend
- Not disclosed
- Reg number
- 1188705
- Scope
- Local (bath)
- Reserves
- 0 months
- Trustees
- 4
- Accounts year
- 2025
- Filing
- up to date
How does SOS AFRICA compare, and where else can you look?
Where SOS AFRICA sits
The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.
Similar education charities
Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score
- CHAPTER ONE (U.K.) LTD 100/100 · £1.8m
- SCHOOL IN A BAG 100/100 · £600k
- THE BEN KINSELLA TRUST 100/100 · £596k
- EALING AND HOUNSLOW COMMUNITY VOLUNTARY SERVICE 99/100 · £953k
How can you share Sos Africa's rating?
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Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Sos Africa's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
Is Sos Africa a good charity? +
Sos Africa scores 64 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Its recent filings do not disclose a charitable-activities spend split 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 Sos Africa a legitimate charity? +
Yes — Sos Africa is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1188705). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1188705. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.
What is Sos Africa's charity number? +
Sos Africa's charity number is 1188705. 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 Sos Africa's charity rating? +
Sos Africa scores 64 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 Sos Africa have reviews and complaints? +
CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Sos Africa. 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 Sos Africa? +
Sos Africa does not disclose a charitable-activities spend split in its recent UK regulator filings, so there is no official figure for how much of a donation reaches the cause. CharityCompare reports this as "not disclosed" rather than assuming a number.
What are Sos Africa's overheads? +
Sos Africa's recent UK regulator filings do not disclose a fundraising or governance cost split, so no official overhead percentage is available. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Sos Africa'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 Sos Africa receive? +
Sos Africa reported £313k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: declining.
Are Sos Africa'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 Sos Africa based? +
Sos Africa is listed at Bath · BA4 5AS, focused on education.
How does CharityCompare score Sos Africa? +
We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Sos Africa'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 Sos Africa'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.