--- title: "The Royal Naval Association charity rating | CharityCompare" description: "Is The Royal Naval Association a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 92/100. Accounts 2024: income £599k · 96% on charitable activities. Reg 266982." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-royal-naval-association retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:13:58.658Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is The Royal Naval Association a good charity? The Royal Naval Association scores 92/100 (5 stars, Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£599k 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. Portsmouth · UK-wide · PO1 3LU | Reg [266982](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-royal-naval-association) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.royal-naval-association.co.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/266982) Donate ## How can you give to THE ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.royal-naval-association.co.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=266982) ## What does The Royal Naval Association do? The Royal Naval Association is a registered charity (no. 266982) working in poverty relief across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 96% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 31 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈17% 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 Royal Naval Association hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-royal-naval-association) **In short:** THE ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION scores 92 out of 100 (5 stars). 96% average program spend (2-year average, disclosed years only). Filings are up to date with no major concerns. ## What is The Royal Naval Association? The Royal Naval Association has a Clarity Score of 92 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 266982. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Poverty relief. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £599k, with 96% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 31 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 96% 2-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 93/100 Finance beacon Income £599k Latest year 2024 Reserves 31 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £25.7 raised per £1 fundraising (2-yr avg) · 7% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does THE ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION 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). Poverty relief charities87thpercentile **Scores higher than 87% of 1,502 charities in this cause** · 92/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is The Royal Naval Association's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2024 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 Royal Naval 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. 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% | 17 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. 83/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 73% | 31 month · 11/15 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. | 80% | 10% · 4/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 | 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% | 3p 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% | 1,750 volunteers / 12 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is The Royal Naval Association'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. 93/100 Accountability & Transparency 83/100 Financial Health 100/100 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 oversight17 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies7/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 83/100 Reserves (months of cash)31 month · 11/15 pts Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets10% · 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 efficiency3p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio1,750 volunteers / 12 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does The Royal Naval Association raise and spend? Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £599k | — | | Total expenditure | £786k | — | | Charitable activities | £747k | 95% | | Fundraising | £39k | 5% | | Governance & admin | £52k | 7% | 95%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2024) · £786k spent - Charitable activities95% · £747k - Fundraising5% · £39k - Governance7% · £52k ## What trust indicators does The Royal Naval 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 24 June 2026 - — Trustee board size (3–12) 17 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 12 employees · 1,750 volunteers (146:1 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 →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/) Official register Reg 266982 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/266982) ### Trustees & officers - STANLEY KEITH RIDLEY MBE since 2012 - Mary Marguarita Lock MBE since 2013 - James Mark Slawson OBE since 2014 - Paul Stephenson since 2015 - Vice Admiral Duncan Laurence Potts CB Chair · since 2021 - Lance Higgon-Young since 2021 - Warwick Ian Belfitt since 2022 - Peter James Chivers since 2022 - Roslyn Hastie-Murray since 2022 - Stephen John Elliot since 2022 - Claire Louise Robson since 2021 - Andrew Christie since 2023 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 Royal Naval 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 The Royal Naval Association? Overall score 92/100 (5★) Income £599k Cause spend 96% of expenditure Reg number 266982 Scope UK-wide Reserves 31 months Trustees 17 Accounts year 2024 Filing up to date ## How does THE ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION compare, and where else can you look? [Compare THE ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=the-royal-naval-association) [More poverty relief charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where THE ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [poverty charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty) - [armed forces charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/armed-forces) - [health charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/health) - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [Charities in Portsmouth](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/portsmouth) - [poverty charities in Portsmouth](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty/portsmouth) ### Similar poverty relief charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [AMOS TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/amos-trust) 100/100 · £2.6m - [SUFRA - NW LONDON](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/sufra-nw-london) 100/100 · £1.7m - [WILDERNESS FOUNDATION UK](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/wilderness-foundation-uk) 100/100 · £1.6m - [BIRMINGHAM CITY MISSION](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/birmingham-city-mission) 100/100 · £1.4m ## How can you share The Royal Naval Association's rating? 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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-royal-naval-association) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 92/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about The Royal Naval Association's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is The Royal Naval Association a good charity? + The Royal Naval Association scores 92 out of 100 (5 stars — Exceptional) 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 The Royal Naval Association a legitimate charity? + Yes — The Royal Naval Association is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 266982). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/266982. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is The Royal Naval Association's charity number? + The Royal Naval Association's charity number is 266982. 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 Royal Naval Association's charity rating? + The Royal Naval Association 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 Royal Naval Association have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Royal Naval 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 The Royal Naval Association? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, 96% of The Royal Naval Association's total spending went to charitable activities (2-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 Royal Naval Association's overheads? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 4% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 7% of total expenditure at The Royal Naval Association. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Royal Naval 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 The Royal Naval Association receive? + The Royal Naval Association reported £599k total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing. Are The Royal Naval 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 The Royal Naval Association based? + The Royal Naval Association is listed at Portsmouth · UK-wide · PO1 3LU and operates UK-wide, focused on poverty relief. How does CharityCompare score The Royal Naval Association? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Royal Naval 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 The Royal Naval Association'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.