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BeaconAccountability & Transparency
40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10).
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Compare charities side-by-side
Pick up to four and see their Clarity scores, cause spend, reserves and filing record in one table — straight from UK regulator accounts.
How we score Information only — not donation advice.
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Information only — not donation advice. Methodology · Charity Commission annual returns for England & Wales.
Popular head-to-head comparisons
Brand and model match-ups with Clarity Score beacons and UK regulator filings — information only, not donation advice.
Compare
Macmillan Cancer Support vs Cancer Research UK
Macmillan Cancer Support: Support and navigation for people affected by cancer. Cancer Research UK: Cancer research and public information. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
Open comparison →Compare
RSPCA vs Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
RSPCA: Prevention of cruelty and animal welfare. Battersea Dogs & Cats Home: Care, reunification and rehoming for dogs and cats. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
Open comparison →Compare
Dogs Trust vs Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
Dogs Trust: Dog rehoming, owner support and welfare education. Battersea Dogs & Cats Home: Care, reunification and rehoming for dogs and cats. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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Shelter vs Crisis
Shelter: Housing and homelessness support and campaigning. Crisis: Services and campaigning to end homelessness. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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Large national animal charity vs Local animal rescue
Large national animal charity: Prevention of cruelty and animal welfare. Local animal rescue: Community animal rescue and care. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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Cancer research charity vs Patient support charity
Cancer research charity: Cancer research and public information. Patient support charity: Support and navigation for people affected by cancer. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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National homelessness charity vs Local homelessness service
National homelessness charity: Housing and homelessness support and campaigning. Local homelessness service: Homelessness prevention, housing, health and skills. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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Large international aid agency vs Specialist niche charity
Large international aid agency: Children’s welfare and relief across countries. Specialist niche charity: Emergency relief and long-term development. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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Oxfam GB vs Save the Children UK
Oxfam GB: Humanitarian relief, development and advocacy. Save the Children UK: Children’s welfare and relief across countries. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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NSPCC vs Barnardo's
NSPCC: Child protection and prevention of harm. Barnardo's: Specialist support for children and young people. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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British Heart Foundation vs Stroke Association
British Heart Foundation: Cardiovascular research and public support. Stroke Association: Stroke support, campaigning and research. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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Mind vs Samaritans
Mind: Mental-health information, campaigning and local partnerships. Samaritans: Emotional support coordinated across a branch network. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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Cats Protection vs Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
Cats Protection: Cat rehoming, neutering and welfare information. Battersea Dogs & Cats Home: Care, reunification and rehoming for dogs and cats. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
Open comparison →Compare
Islamic Relief Worldwide vs Muslim Aid
Islamic Relief Worldwide: Emergency relief and long-term development. Muslim Aid: Emergency response and poverty-focused programmes. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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Help for Heroes vs The Royal British Legion
Help for Heroes: Support for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans. The Royal British Legion: Armed Forces welfare and remembrance. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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Marie Curie vs Macmillan Cancer Support
Marie Curie: End-of-life care and family support. Macmillan Cancer Support: Support and navigation for people affected by cancer. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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Alzheimer's Society vs Alzheimer's Research UK
Alzheimer's Society: Dementia support, information, campaigning and research. Alzheimer's Research UK: Dementia research and public understanding. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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Guide Dogs vs RNIB
Guide Dogs: Guide dogs, mobility and sight-loss support. RNIB: Sight-loss information, practical services and rights. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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PDSA vs Blue Cross
PDSA: Veterinary care and pet-welfare education. Blue Cross: Animal welfare and responsible pet ownership. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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WWF-UK vs RSPB
WWF-UK: Conservation, sustainable resource use and environmental protection. RSPB: Wildlife, habitat conservation and public education. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
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Christian Aid vs CAFOD
Christian Aid: Poverty reduction, rights and essential services. CAFOD: Catholic international development and emergency relief. Match the work to your purpose, then compare dated accounts and evidence.
Open comparison →Guides: How to compare charities · Cancer charities · Animal charities
Top & bottom lists
Editorial rankings by metric — from UK regulator filings. Information only.
Bottom 10 by filing timeliness
Charities with the weakest filing records in our set — late or missing accounts on the register.
Top 10 charities by accountability & transparency UK
Highest Accountability & Transparency beacon scores — filing record, trustee oversight and declared policies from UK regulator filings.
Top 10 charities by cause spend UK
Charities where the largest share of expenditure went to charitable activities — money to the cause from UK regulator filings.
Top 10 charities by fundraising efficiency UK
UK charities with the most efficient fundraising — lowest fundraising cost as a share of expenditure from UK regulator filings.
Top 10 charities by financial health UK
Highest Financial Health beacon scores — reserves, income stability and balance-sheet signals from UK regulator filings.
Top 10 charities by overall score
Highest Clarity Scores (0–100) in our curated set — the four-pillar rating built from UK regulator filings.
Clarity Score
How we score
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.
90+Exceptional
75+Good
60+Needs improvement
1+Poor
0+Not rated
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BeaconFinancial Health
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).
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BeaconFinancial Efficiency
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).
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BeaconCommunity Support
10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio.
Overall score (0–100)
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.
Overall score (0–100)
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.
Pillar breakdown
Sub-metrics award points up to their published maximum, using the scales in our methodology. Pillar rings show the percentage of that pillar’s maximum earned.
Red flags
Factual cards — statutory inquiry, fewer than three trustees, late filings, high fundraising spend, sharp income drops, very high reserves.
Give with Confidence
Score 75+ (about 4★ on the 5-star display), no serious red flags, filings up to date, no statutory inquiry.
What we exclude from a full score
A full Clarity Score needs detailed annual-return fields. Charities under £100,000 income, and many OSCR/CCNI records with thinner published returns, get a basic register profile instead of a score. Optional donor support never influences ratings. Basic profiles cover charities in our latest extracts from the three UK regulators; recent registrations may not appear until the next refresh.
Information only — not donation advice. Source: UK charity regulator registers and annual returns (Charity Commission for England & Wales, OSCR, CCNI). Changelog →
Common questions
Is comparing Clarity Scores donation advice?
No. Clarity Scores summarise official UK regulator filings. A higher score does not mean you should donate there. Read the full profile, the scoring guide below, and the charity’s own accounts before giving.
How many charities can I compare at once?
Up to four from our directory — Clarity scores (0–100), beacon breakdowns, income, cause-spend percentages and filing status appear side-by-side.
Where does the data come from?
UK regulator annual returns and registers — the Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR in Scotland, and CCNI in Northern Ireland. Every profile cites primary sources. Rated profiles need detailed return fields; thinner records get a basic register page.
Can I compare famous charities like Macmillan vs Cancer Research UK?
Yes. Use the interactive tool above, or open a curated head-to-head — Macmillan vs Cancer Research UK, Marie Curie vs Macmillan, NSPCC vs Barnardo’s, Mind vs Samaritans, RSPCA vs Battersea, Help for Heroes vs the Royal British Legion, and others — which explain model differences plus filings snapshots.
How do I compare charities in my city?
Browse by cause and city for pages such as best animal charities in Bristol or homeless charities in Manchester, then open the compare tool with up to four shortlisted charities.