Giving to emergency appeals from the UK

CharityCompare does not rank charities by how much good they do in a crisis. When the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) runs an appeal, your donation is shared between its member charities using a set formula, so you do not have to pick one. When there is no DEC appeal, the DEC’s monitoring page names the members that are responding. Check that any charity you choose is registered, and read its Clarity Score as a guide to its financial reporting, not to the impact of its emergency work.

Not on 23 October 2026. The DEC’s monitoring page said its criteria for a national appeal were not met and listed appeals run by ActionAid, CARE International, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Tearfund and World Vision. The DEC appeals open that day were the Venezuela Earthquake Appeal and the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal. Check dec.org.uk/appeals for changes.

Yes, to run the appeal. The DEC’s help centre (updated 15 May 2026) says about 7.2% of a donation covers its appeal costs, such as advertising and phone lines, based on the average of its last four appeals. About 92% is divided between the 15 member charities, which can use up to 7% of what they receive on their own management costs for the response. Interest earned on money waiting to be spent may fund the DEC’s wider work.

The DEC says its appeal programmes typically last two years and can be extended depending on the disaster. Members must spend at least 30% of their share in the first six months, after which the emphasis moves where possible to helping communities rebuild. An appeal can stay open for donations for much longer than the first emergency phase: the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal launched on 17 October 2024 and was still open on 23 October 2026.

The Disasters Emergency Committee is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales as charity 1062638. On 1 July 2026 the Charity Commission and the Fundraising Regulator suggested giving through the DEC’s Venezuela appeal. Its CharityCompare Clarity Score is 84/100 (accounts for the year ending 31 March 2026), which rates financial reporting and stewardship, not the aid its members deliver. Give through dec.org.uk, typed in yourself, rather than a link in a message.

On 23 October 2026 the DEC listed 15 member charities: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International, Christian Aid, Concern, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Plan International, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision.

A UK Government scheme that adds £1 of UK aid for every £1 that people living in the UK give to an appeal it has agreed to match, up to a set amount. For DEC appeals, GOV.UK lists amounts from £2 million (most recently the 2026 Venezuela Earthquake Appeal) to £25 million (the 2022 Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal). Once that amount is reached, later donations are not matched, so check the appeal page before assuming yours will be doubled.

Only when three criteria are met: the disaster is big and urgent enough to need swift international help; some or all members can respond at a scale that justifies a national appeal; and there is reason to expect the UK public to give. The DEC does not launch appeals for disasters in the UK, where it says funding and a framework for recovery already exist.

The DEC advises against it for most people. It does not collect, store or send goods, and says shipping goods from the UK usually costs more than they are worth; members buy relief items in bulk in or near the affected region. For large or specialised donations it points people to Global Hand, and businesses to In Kind Direct.