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Stand By Me

Charity rating & review

79/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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79 /100

Clarity score

Good

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Quick answer

Is Stand By Me a good charity?

Stand By Me scores 79/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£3.0m total income, 96% 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.

London · UK-wide · RM2 6HS Reg 1185124 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Stand By Me do?

Stand By Me is a registered charity (no. 1185124) working in poverty relief across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 96% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 1 month of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈6% 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 — Stand By Me hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: STAND BY ME scores 79 out of 100 (4 stars). 96% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

What is Stand By Me?

Stand By Me has a Clarity Score of 79 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1185124. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Poverty relief. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £3.0m, with 96% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 1 month 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

79/100

4★ · Good

Cause spend

96%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

93/100

Finance beacon

Income

£3.0m

Latest year 2024

Reserves

1 mo

1 month of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£26.5 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 4% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How does STAND BY ME compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers STAND BY ME scores higher than.

Income band (£1m–£5m)49thpercentile

Scores higher than 49% of 2,776 charities in its income band · 79/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

Poverty relief charities47thpercentile

Scores higher than 47% of 1,502 charities in this cause · 79/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

How reliable is Stand By Me's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2024
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 Stand By Me'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.

93/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for STAND BY ME
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.

70% 7/10 pts

Financial Health

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

60/100

Financial Health metrics for STAND BY ME
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

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

33% 1 month · 5/15 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% 8% · 4/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for STAND BY ME
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 96% · 10/10 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% 4p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

40/100

Community Support metrics for STAND BY ME
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

40% 10 volunteers / 14 staff · 4/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What is Stand By Me's Clarity Score?

79/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars

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

93/100
Accountability & Transparency
60/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
40/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

93/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight4 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies7/10 pts

Financial Health

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

60/100

Reserves (months of cash)1 month · 5/15 pts
Income stability / growth9/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets8% · 4/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio96% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency4p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

40/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio10 volunteers / 14 staff · 4/10 pts

How much does Stand By Me raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings

STAND BY ME revenue and expenses for 2024
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £3.0m
Total expenditure £3.0m
Charitable activities £2.9m 97%
Fundraising £105k 3%
Governance & admin £6k 0%
97%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2024) · £3.0m spent

  • Charitable activities97%
  • Fundraising3%
  • Governance0%

What trust indicators does Stand By Me 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

    14 employees · 10 volunteers (1:1 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 1185124

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Edward Carpenter since 2013
  • Elizabeth Staniforth since 2018
  • GORDON JOSEPH HAYNES since 2024
  • Peter William Jordon since 2026
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 Stand By Me's finances changed over five years?

£0k £800k £1600k £2400k £3200k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £2,453k Spending 2020: £1,937k Cause spend 2020: £1,842k Income 2021: £2,618k Spending 2021: £2,371k Cause spend 2021: £2,281k Income 2022: £2,602k Spending 2022: £2,830k Cause spend 2022: £2,715k Income 2023: £2,782k Spending 2023: £3,048k Cause spend 2023: £2,950k Income 2024: £3,048k Spending 2024: £3,015k Cause spend 2024: £2,910k
  • 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 Stand By Me?

Overall score
79/100 (4★)
Income
£3.0m
Cause spend
96% of expenditure
Reg number
1185124
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
1 month
Trustees
4
Accounts year
2024
Filing
up to date

Where STAND BY ME sits

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

Similar poverty relief charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Stand By Me's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Stand By Me a good charity? +

Stand By Me scores 79 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 96% 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 Stand By Me a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Stand By Me is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1185124). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1185124. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Stand By Me's charity number? +

Stand By Me's charity number is 1185124. 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 Stand By Me's charity rating? +

Stand By Me scores 79 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars — Good). 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 Stand By Me have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Stand By Me. 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 Stand By Me? +

According to its 2024 regulator filing, 96% of Stand By Me'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 Stand By Me's overheads? +

According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 4% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 4% of total expenditure at Stand By Me. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Stand By Me'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 Stand By Me receive? +

Stand By Me reported £3.0m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are Stand By Me'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 Stand By Me based? +

Stand By Me is listed at London · UK-wide · RM2 6HS and operates UK-wide, focused on poverty relief.

How does CharityCompare score Stand By Me? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Stand By Me'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 Stand By Me's most recent accounts cover 2024. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.