--- title: "How to read charity impact reports and compare results" description: "Understand charity outputs, outcomes and impact. Check sources, reporting periods, participant counts and evaluation methods before comparing results." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/how-to-read-charity-impact retrieved: 2026-09-20T13:35:46.572Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- # How to read charity impact reports and compare results **In short:** Start with the change a programme aims to make, then check how it was measured. People reached, money spent and services delivered are useful context, but none alone proves lasting impact. Data from [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 7 September 2026. ## Separate activity from change A food programme might count 10,000 meals, 400 people using the service, and 120 households reporting better food security after three months. These are fictional examples of three different measures. Meals are an output; the reported change is an outcome. Establishing how much of that change the programme caused requires additional evidence. For every headline figure, ask what was counted, over which period, where, and whether repeat visits count more than once. An answer helps you understand the number without assuming it measures something else. ## Read the method alongside the result - **Charity-reported:** the organisation publishes its own monitoring or evaluation. Check the definitions, sample size, missing responses and limitations. - **Independent evaluation:** another organisation evaluates the programme. Check who commissioned and funded the work, how participants were selected and whether the evaluator can publish unfavourable findings. - **Evidence of lasting change:** follow-up data can show whether a reported benefit continued. Check attrition: people who did not respond may have had different experiences. These labels describe the source. None is an automatic quality score. A carefully conducted internal study can be more useful than a weak external study. ## Compare like with like A helpline’s number of contacts cannot be ranked against a research charity’s funded studies. Even two rehoming charities may count different countries, species, repeat admissions or animals receiving veterinary care. Read both definitions before comparing totals. Costs also need a matching denominator. Dividing an entire charity’s expenditure by one programme’s beneficiaries mixes unrelated activities and can produce a misleading “cost per person”. Ask for programme-specific costs and outcomes before drawing that conclusion. ## Look for learning and limitations A useful report explains what changed after feedback, what did not work, and where evidence remains uncertain. Look for beneficiary perspectives, appropriate follow-up and a clear account of changes to delivery. Success stories can explain a programme’s human value, but a selected story does not establish a typical result. ## Use CharityCompare’s evidence labels Our profiles separate register facts, calculated financial observations, sourced programme results and the charity’s own response. A missing result means we have not added evidence to that profile; it does not establish that the charity has no impact. The Clarity Score currently measures financial and disclosure proxies, not programme outcomes. Read our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology), [editorial policy](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/editorial-policy) and [charity comparisons](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities). For a worked example of differently defined results, see [Dogs Trust and Battersea](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare/dogs-trust-vs-battersea). ## Further reading [Charity Navigator’s methodology](https://www.charitynavigator.org/about-us/our-methodology/) separates assessment areas. [360Giving’s explanation of its work](https://www.360giving.org/about/) shows how published grant data can improve understanding of funding. A grant is evidence of funding, rather than proof that a programme achieved its intended outcome. ## Read next - [How to read charity accounts You do not need to be an accountant. Check charitable-activities spend, fundraising cost, reserves in months, and whether the latest accounts were filed on time — then read the trustees’ report for the story behind the numbers.](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/how-to-read-accounts) - [How much of my donation goes to the cause? Charity admin costs UK Most well-run UK charities spend roughly 70–90% of expenditure on charitable activities (cause spend). The rest funds fundraising and running costs. Very low overhead can mean underinvestment, not efficiency. On CharityCompare, compare cause spend side by side — Clarity Score caps financial efficiency at 20 of 100 points so ratios cannot dominate.](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/charity-admin-costs-explained) - [Charity CEO pay UK — how to compare senior salaries fairly UK charities disclose staff pay bands over £60,000 in their accounts. There is no single "fair" CEO salary — judge pay against scale, complexity and explanation in the trustees' report. CharityCompare surfaces filing-based scores; it does not rank charities by how little they pay leaders.](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/charity-ceo-pay-uk) Ready to check a specific charity? Every profile shows a free Clarity Score from regulator filings. [Search charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity-directory) [Compare](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities) **Information only** — not donation advice.