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UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION

Charity rating & review

57/100 Clarity Score · 1 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
57 /100

Clarity score

Poor

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Is UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION a good charity?

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION scores 57/100 (Poor) on our Clarity Score, with 40% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts up to date. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Manchester · M13 9PR Reg 1144146 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION is a registered charity (no. 1144146) working in children & youth in Manchester · M13 9PR. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 40% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 1 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been declining over recent years. 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.

In short: UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION scores 57 out of 100 (1 star). 40% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION has a Clarity Score of 57 out of 100 on CharityCompare (1 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 1144146. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £4.0m, with 40% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 1 months of operating costs. 1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

57/100

1★ · Poor

Cause spend

40%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£4.0m

Latest year 2021

Reserves

1 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£2.5 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 39% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION compares

Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.

Income band (£1m–£5m)57 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 11% of 3,014 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities57 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 10% of 3,988 charities in this cause.

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2021
Filing date
2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
Profile reviewed
2026-06-25

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons require information beyond public filings.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales . Open Government Licence v3.0 .

Beacon report

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from Charity Commission filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION
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 · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag).

100% 13 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return.

100% 10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

57/100

Financial Health metrics for UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = 15 pts · 1–3 months = 7 pts · under 1 month or over 3 years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

47% 1 months · 7/15 pts
Income stability / growth

Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts.

100% 10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts.

0% 36% · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

0/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts.

0% 40% · 0/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

Spends ≤ £0.20 to raise £1 = 10 pts · £0.21–£0.35 = 5 pts · above £0.35 = 0 pts (fundraising cost ÷ income).

0% 39p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

0/100

Community Support metrics for UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts.

0% Not reported · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

57/100 total · Poor · 1 of 4 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
57/100
Financial Health
0/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight13 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

57/100

Reserves (months of cash)1 months · 7/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets36% · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

0/100

Program expense ratio40% · 0/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency39p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

0/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratioNot reported · 0/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £4.0m
Total expenditure £3.9m
Charitable activities £2.1m 54%
Governance & admin £22k 1%
54%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £3.9m spent

  • Charitable activities54%
  • Governance1%
  • Other spending46%

Trust indicators

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    13 trustees on the Charity Commission register

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 1144146

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • David Ronald WEATHERALL since 2023
  • Renarta Kelly GUY since 2023
  • Alexandra Frances BAYNES since 2024
  • Elliot Richard BRIFFA since 2024
  • Aaina Mohapatra since 2025
  • Alec James Severs since 2025
  • Amrit Kaur Dhillon since 2025
  • Amulya Tiwari since 2025
  • Catherine Frances Bate since 2025
  • Mayowa Anuoluwapo Olayoriju since 2025
  • Olivia Delores Hinds since 2025
  • Rhianna Rakesh Patel since 2025
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK Charity Commission data. Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio (10), fundraising efficiency (10). Kept at 20% to avoid punishing legitimate infrastructure costs.

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Translated to stars: 90–100 Exceptional (4★), 75–89 Good (3★), 60–74 Needs improvement (2★), below 60 Poor (1★).

Five-year trends

£0k £3600k £7200k £10800k £14400k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £3,987k Spending 2021: £3,879k Cause spend 2021: £2,090k Income 2022: £14,122k Spending 2022: £6,886k Cause spend 2022: £2,334k Income 2023: £7,775k Spending 2023: £7,705k Cause spend 2023: £2,628k Income 2024: £8,741k Spending 2024: £8,677k Cause spend 2024: £3,680k Income 2025: £8,329k Spending 2025: £8,786k Cause spend 2025: £3,704k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
57/100 (1★)
Income
£4.0m
Cause spend
40% of expenditure
Reg number
1144146
Scope
Local (manchester)
Reserves
1 months
Trustees
13
Accounts year
2021
Filing
up to date

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION's charity rating? +

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION scores 57 out of 100 on CharityCompare (1 stars — Poor). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from Charity Commission filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10).

Is UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION a good charity to donate to? +

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION scores 57 out of 100 (1 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 40% 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 UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1144146. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION's Charity Commission registration number? +

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION's registration number is 1144146. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1144146

How much income does UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION receive? +

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION reported £4.0m total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 40% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 38% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 39%.

Are UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION based? +

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION is listed at Manchester · M13 9PR, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION? +

We analyse Charity Commission annual accounts using three-year averages for program expense, fundraising efficiency, and overhead; working capital from reserves vs average expenditure; liabilities-to-assets from the latest balance sheet when available. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons are not yet assessed from public data alone. See our methodology for weights and thresholds.

Does CharityCompare recommend donating to UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION? +

No. CharityCompare provides independent scores and facts from official filings. We do not tell you where to donate or earn commission from charities.

How can I compare UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER STUDENTS' UNION side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.