The Charity Commission has upgraded its online register to make more information about individual charities available to the public.
It has equipped the www.gov.uk/checkcharity service with a new display to provide a wider range of information, including a marker of regulatory alerts on charities it has held to account, whether a specific charity works with a professional fundraiser, and where it has specific policies in place on issues such as safeguarding.
The register has been designed to make it easier for trustees to access and update information and given new data download functions to help sector professionals analyse information and identify trends in the sector. It also allows potential supporters or those thinking of setting up a new charity to search for those in their area or identify those promoting a certain cause.
The Commission said it is now moving into a second phase of work to enable web and app developers to access data from the service and re-use it within their own.
Donation decisions
Helen Stephenson, chief executive of the Charity Commission, said: “Decisions about charitable donations are often very personal, influenced by our own life experiences, and those of our friends and family.
“But we know that most people share an expectation of openness and transparency from all charities. That’s why our new online register increases the range of information available at the click of a button.”
She added: “I also hope that the new register display will encourage charities to continue to respond to growing public expectations around transparency and accountability.”
The regulator has invited feedback on the service.
Image from GOV.UK, Open Government Licence v3.0
