--- title: "The Circle of Women rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare" description: "Is The Circle of Women a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 92/100. Accounts 2025: income £801k · 86% on charitable activities. Reg 1160293." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-circle-of-women retrieved: 2026-08-18T03:22:21.472Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is The Circle of Women a good charity? The Circle of Women scores 92/100 (5 stars, Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£801k total income, 86% 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 · EC4M 7JN | Reg [1160293](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-circle-of-women) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.thecircle.ngo/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1160293) Donate ## How can you give to THE CIRCLE OF WOMEN? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE CIRCLE OF WOMEN form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.thecircle.ngo/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1160293) ## What does The Circle of Women do? The Circle of Women is a registered charity (no. 1160293) working in international aid across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 86% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 6 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈18% 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 — The Circle of Women hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-circle-of-women) **In short:** THE CIRCLE OF WOMEN scores 92 out of 100 (5 stars). 86% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns. ## What is The Circle of Women? The Circle of Women has a Clarity Score of 92 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 1160293. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: International aid. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £801k, with 86% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 6 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026. Overall score 92/100 5★ · Exceptional Cause spend 86% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 100/100 Finance beacon Income £801k Latest year 2025 Reserves 6 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £6.8 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 17% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does THE CIRCLE OF WOMEN compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE CIRCLE OF WOMEN scores higher than. Income band (£500k–£1m)83rdpercentile **Scores higher than 83% of 2,187 charities in its income band** · 92/100 vs 79 peer average (marker). International aid charities91stpercentile **Scores higher than 91% of 618 charities in this cause** · 92/100 vs 75 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is The Circle of Women's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2025 Filing date 24 June 2026 Profile reviewed 17 July 2026 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), [Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator](https://www.oscr.org.uk/) and [Charity Commission for Northern Ireland](https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/). [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). ## What is The Circle of Women'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% | 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. 100/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 100% | 6 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. | 100% | 6% · 5/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 90/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 90% | 86% · 9/10 pts (3-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 90% | 14p per £1 income · 9/10 pts (3-year average) | ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 40/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 40% | 7 volunteers / 8 staff · 4/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is The Circle of Women's Clarity Score? 92/100 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 100/100 Financial Health 90/100 Financial Efficiency 40/100 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. 100/100 Reserves (months of cash)6 months · 15/15 pts Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets6% · 5/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 90/100 Program expense ratio86% · 9/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency14p per £1 income · 9/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 40/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio7 volunteers / 8 staff · 4/10 pts ## How much does The Circle of Women raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £801k | — | | Total expenditure | £777k | — | | Charitable activities | £631k | 81% | | Fundraising | £146k | 19% | | Governance & admin | £25k | 3% | 81%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £777k spent - Charitable activities81% · £631k - Fundraising19% · £146k - Governance3% · £25k ## What trust indicators does The Circle of Women have? Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported. - ✓ Accounts filed on time up to date · last filing 24 June 2026 - ✓ Trustee board size (3–12) 12 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 8 employees · 7 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 →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/) Official register Reg 1160293 Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission. [View on Charity Commission →](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1160293) ### Trustees & officers - Livia Giuggioli since 2014 - Tara Alexandra Goldsmid Paterson since 2018 - Karis Victoria McLarty since 2022 - Amarachi Clarke since 2022 - Nicole Lowe since 2023 - Pamela Gillies since 2024 - Laura Griffin since 2024 - Scheaffer Okore since 2024 - Jane Karczewski since 2024 - Maria Agustina Oliveri since 2026 - Patricia Dorothy Young since 2026 - Anne Aslett since 2026 100 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 →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/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 The Circle of Women'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 The Circle of Women? Overall score 92/100 (5★) Income £801k Cause spend 86% of expenditure Reg number 1160293 Scope UK-wide Reserves 6 months Trustees 12 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does THE CIRCLE OF WOMEN compare, and where else can you look? [Compare THE CIRCLE OF WOMEN with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=the-circle-of-women) [More international aid charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/international) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where THE CIRCLE OF WOMEN sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [international charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/international) - [poverty charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty) - [homelessness charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/homelessness) - [disability charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/disability) - [Charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london) - [international charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/international/london) ### Similar international aid charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [THE ZAHRA TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-zahra-trust) 100/100 · £5.9m - [ORISON CHARITABLE TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/orison-charitable-trust) 100/100 · £2.8m - [HELP THE NEEDY CHARITABLE TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/help-the-needy-charitable-trust) 100/100 · £2.6m - [MAJLIS ANSARULLAH (UK) LTD](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/majlis-ansarullah-uk-ltd) 100/100 · £1.9m ## How can you share The Circle of Women's rating? Share: [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20Circle%20of%20Women%20%E2%80%94%2092%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fthe-circle-of-women)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fthe-circle-of-women)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fthe-circle-of-women)[Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=The%20Circle%20of%20Women%20%E2%80%94%2092%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fthe-circle-of-women) Copy link Print / save as PDFOpens a printer-friendly view of this profile for The Circle of Women. For this charity ## How do you add The Circle of Women's rating to your site? Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 92/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-circle-of-women) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 92/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about The Circle of Women's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is The Circle of Women a good charity? + The Circle of Women scores 92 out of 100 (5 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 86% 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 The Circle of Women a legitimate charity? + Yes — The Circle of Women is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1160293). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1160293. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is The Circle of Women's charity number? + The Circle of Women's charity number is 1160293. 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 The Circle of Women's charity rating? + The Circle of Women scores 92 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 The Circle of Women have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Circle of Women. 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 The Circle of Women? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 86% of The Circle of Women'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 The Circle of Women's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 14% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 17% of total expenditure at The Circle of Women. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Circle of Women'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 The Circle of Women receive? + The Circle of Women reported £801k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing. Are The Circle of Women'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 The Circle of Women based? + The Circle of Women is listed at London · UK-wide · EC4M 7JN and operates UK-wide, focused on international aid. How does CharityCompare score The Circle of Women? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Circle of Women'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 The Circle of Women'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.