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UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION

Charity rating & review

85/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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85 /100

Clarity score

Good

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Is UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION a good charity?

UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION scores 85/100 (Good) on our Clarity Score, with 96% 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.

Portsmouth · PO1 2AH Reg 1136115 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION is a registered charity (no. 1136115) working in children & youth in Portsmouth · PO1 2AH. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 96% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 4 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 PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION scores 85 out of 100 (3 stars). 96% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

Overview

UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION has a Clarity Score of 85 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1136115. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £1.4m, with 96% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 4 months of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

85/100

3★ · Good

Cause spend

96%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£1.4m

Latest year 2021

Reserves

4 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£26.5 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 6% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION compares

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

Income band (£1m–£5m)85 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 69% of 3,014 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities85 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 68% 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 PORTSMOUTH 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% 9 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.

50/100

Financial Health metrics for UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH 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.

100% 4 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth

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

0% 0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

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

0% Not stated · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

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

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

100% 96% · 10/10 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).

100% 4p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

100/100

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

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

100% 831 volunteers / 62 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

85/100 total · Good · 3 of 4 stars

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

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
50/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
100/100
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 oversight9 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

50/100

Reserves (months of cash)4 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assetsNot stated · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio96% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency4p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

100/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio831 volunteers / 62 staff · 10/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £1.4m
Total expenditure £1.4m
Charitable activities £1.3m 96%
Fundraising £51k 4%
Governance & admin £27k 2%
96%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £1.4m spent

  • Charitable activities96%
  • Fundraising4%
  • Governance2%

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)

    9 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    62 employees · 831 volunteers (13:1 volunteer-to-staff)

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 1136115

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Blessing Okafor since 2024
  • Ka Ki Dorothy Ku since 2024
  • Alexander Hannan since 2025
  • Charday Stone since 2025
  • Verity Knight since 2025
  • Simbarashe Mushambi Dube since 2025
  • Sarah Shaw since 2026
  • Maia Graham since 2026
  • Robert William Thrower since 2026
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 £500k £1000k £1500k £2000k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £1,447k Spending 2021: £1,374k Cause spend 2021: £1,323k Income 2022: £1,710k Spending 2022: £1,589k Cause spend 2022: £1,481k Income 2023: £1,966k Spending 2023: £1,844k Cause spend 2023: £1,768k Income 2024: £1,850k Spending 2024: £1,799k Cause spend 2024: £1,729k Income 2025: £1,679k Spending 2025: £1,566k Cause spend 2025: £1,504k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
85/100 (3★)
Income
£1.4m
Cause spend
96% of expenditure
Reg number
1136115
Scope
Local (portsmouth)
Reserves
4 months
Trustees
9
Accounts year
2021
Filing
up to date

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Frequently asked questions

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

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

UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION scores 85 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Good). 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 PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION a good charity to donate to? +

UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION scores 85 out of 100 (3 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 96% 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 PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1136115. You can verify the entry on the official register.

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

UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION's registration number is 1136115. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1136115

How much income does UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION receive? +

UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION reported £1.4m total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

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

Approximately 96% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 4% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 6%.

Are UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH 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 PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION based? +

UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION is listed at Portsmouth · PO1 2AH, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH 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 PORTSMOUTH 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 PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS UNION with other charities? +

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