--- title: "The General Service Board of Alcoh… rating | CharityCompare" description: "The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited scores 78/100 (Good). Latest accounts 2025: income £2.2m. Reg 226745." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-general-service-board-of-alcoholics-anonymous-great-britain-limited retrieved: 2026-08-18T01:37:17.536Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited a good charity? The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited scores 78/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£2.2m total income, 55% 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. York · UK-wide · YO1 6JT | Reg [226745](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-general-service-board-of-alcoholics-anonymous-great-britain-limited) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/226745) Donate ## How can you give to THE GENERAL SERVICE BOARD OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (GREAT BRITAIN) LIMITED? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE GENERAL SERVICE BOARD OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (GREAT BRITAIN) LIMITED form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=226745) ## What does The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited do? The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited is a registered charity (no. 226745) working in addiction recovery across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 55% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 15 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈13% 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 General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-general-service-board-of-alcoholics-anonymous-great-britain-limited) **In short:** THE GENERAL SERVICE BOARD OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (GREAT BRITAIN) LIMITED scores 78 out of 100 (4 stars). 55% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns. ## What is The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited? The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited has a Clarity Score of 78 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 226745. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Addiction recovery. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £2.2m, with 55% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 15 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026. Overall score 78/100 4★ · Good Cause spend 55% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 93/100 Finance beacon Income £2.2m Latest year 2025 Reserves 15 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £2.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 45% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does THE GENERAL SERVICE BOARD OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (GREAT BRITAIN) LIMITED compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE GENERAL SERVICE BOARD OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (GREAT BRITAIN) LIMITED scores higher than. Income band (£1m–£5m)46thpercentile **Scores higher than 46% of 2,776 charities in its income band** · 78/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). Addiction recovery charities38thpercentile **Scores higher than 38% of 8 charities in this cause** · 78/100 vs 80 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited'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 General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited'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 | 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% | 24 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. 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% | 15 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% | 3% · 5/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 5/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 10% | 55% · 1/10 pts (3-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 0% | 47p per £1 income · 0/10 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% | 150 volunteers / 21 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited's Clarity Score? 78/100 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 100/100 Financial Health 5/100 Financial Efficiency 100/100 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 oversight24 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies7/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 100/100 Reserves (months of cash)15 months · 15/15 pts Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets3% · 5/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 5/100 Program expense ratio55% · 1/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency47p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio150 volunteers / 21 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £2.2m | — | | Total expenditure | £2.1m | — | | Charitable activities | £1.1m | 53% | | Fundraising | £981k | 47% | 53%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £2.1m spent - Charitable activities53% · £1.1m - Fundraising47% · £981k ## What trust indicators does The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited 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) 24 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 21 employees · 150 volunteers (7:1 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 226745 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/226745) ### Trustees & officers - Gretchen Swisher since 2021 - Joanna Faul since 2021 - Dr Kieran John Moriarty since 2022 - Emma Jane Gipson since 2023 - Holly Sarah Alexander since 2023 - Carmel Mary Zita George since 2024 - Anthony Mark Stephens since 2024 - Maxine Elizabeth Jefferies since 2024 - Angela Mary Sheridan since 2024 - Jill Roberta Tolfrey Dr since 2025 - Michael Stafford Newton since 2025 - Dr Syed Hassan Abbas Zaidi since 2025 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 General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited'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 General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited? Overall score 78/100 (4★) Income £2.2m Cause spend 55% of expenditure Reg number 226745 Scope UK-wide Reserves 15 months Trustees 24 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does THE GENERAL SERVICE BOARD OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (GREAT BRITAIN) LIMITED compare, and where else can you look? [Compare THE GENERAL SERVICE BOARD OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (GREAT BRITAIN) LIMITED with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=the-general-service-board-of-alcoholics-anonymous-great-britain-limited) [More addiction recovery charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/addiction) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where THE GENERAL SERVICE BOARD OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (GREAT BRITAIN) LIMITED sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [addiction charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/addiction) - [health charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/health) - [Charities in York](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/york) ### Similar addiction recovery charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-national-association-for-children-of-alcoholics) 97/100 · £532k - [RELEASE LEGAL EMERGENCY AND DRUGS SERVICE LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/release-legal-emergency-and-drugs-service-limited) 96/100 · £961k - [GAMBLING WITH LIVES](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/gambling-with-lives) 96/100 · £630k - [ADDICTION RECOVERY AGENCY LTD](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/addiction-recovery-agency-ltd) 85/100 · £6.2m ## How can you share The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited's rating? 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For this charity ## How do you add The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited'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 78/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-general-service-board-of-alcoholics-anonymous-great-britain-limited) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 78/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited a good charity? + The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited scores 78 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 55% 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 General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited a legitimate charity? + Yes — The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 226745). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/226745. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited's charity number? + The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited's charity number is 226745. 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 General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited's charity rating? + The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited scores 78 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 The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited. 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 The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 55% of The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited'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 General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 45% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 45% of total expenditure at The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited'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 General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited receive? + The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited reported £2.2m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing. Are The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited'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 General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited based? + The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited is listed at York · UK-wide · YO1 6JT and operates UK-wide, focused on addiction recovery. How does CharityCompare score The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited'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 General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Limited'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.