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The CharityCompare donor guide

In short: Use our three star pillars — cause spend, financial health, and openness — then compare local vs national options in causes you care about.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Welcome to CharityCompare. This guide walks you through our approach in plain English.

Step 1 — Pick a cause and place

Start at /browse — choose a cause (animals, cancer, homelessness…) and a city. We show curated charities with income over £100,000 from official filings.

Step 2 — Read the three pillars

Each charity gets 1–5 stars on:

  • Cause spend — how much goes to the mission
  • Financial health — income trend and reserves
  • Openness — timely filings and transparency

Step 3 — Check red flags

We show factual red-flag cards with links to the Charity Commission — late accounts, sharp income drops, or high fundraising ratios.

Step 4 — Compare side-by-side

Use /compare/tool to put up to four charities next to each other. We do not rank “best charity to donate to” — you decide.

Step 5 — Give if you are comfortable

We never say “donate here.” If scores, scope and cause fit your values, give directly via the charity’s official site.

Information only — not donation advice.