Mind vs Samaritans — mental health charity comparison
In short: Mind combines services, local networks and campaigning on mental health; Samaritans is built around a 24-hour listening service — different jobs, both checkable on filings.
Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .
Mind vs Samaritans is the usual search when someone wants to help mental health and knows both names. One is a services-and-campaigning organisation (with local Mind networks that are separate charities). The other is a crisis listening service. Compare the model, then Clarity Score beacons. Not donation advice.
Key differences
| What to compare | MIND (THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH) | SAMARITANS |
|---|---|---|
| Primary model | Mental health information, services, local networks and campaigning | 24-hour listening helpline and suicide-prevention work |
| When people typically encounter them | Advice, local services, campaigning | Someone needs to talk, now |
| Local structure | National charity plus independent local Minds — check which number you have | National charity with volunteer branches |
| Best if you want | Services and campaigning on mental health | A listening service and suicide-prevention capacity |
What the latest filings show
Figures from the most recent annual accounts on the Charity Commission register. Clarity scores use our methodology.
| Metric | MIND (THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH) | SAMARITANS |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 77/100 (4★) | 90/100 (5★) |
| Accountability & Finance | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Spend on charitable activities | 60% of expenditure | 77% of expenditure |
| Fundraising efficiency | £2.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | £4.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) |
| Latest income | £64m | £28m |
| Fundraising spend | 40% of expenditure | 23% of expenditure |
| Reserves | 3 months | 5 months |
| Accounts filing | On time | On time |
| Data confidence | high | high |
| Charity number | 219830 | 219432 |
MIND (THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH) on the register · SAMARITANS on the register
MIND (THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH) may suit you if…
- You want to fund mental health services, information or campaigning
- You already know a local Mind (confirm it is the charity you intend)
- You prefer a services-led national mental health charity
SAMARITANS may suit you if…
- You want donations aimed at a 24-hour listening service
- Suicide prevention is the outcome you care about
- You already think of Samaritans as the number people call in crisis
Common questions
Mind vs Samaritans — which is better?
They do different work. Compare Clarity Scores and filings, then support the model you value. Local Mind charities are often separate registered organisations — check the number on the appeal.
What about Rethink Mental Illness?
Rethink is another major mental health charity, more services-and-severe-mental-illness oriented. Use the compare tool to put any two rated profiles side by side.
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.
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.