Complain about a charity

Complain to the charity directly unless you suspect illegal activity, like terrorism or abuse.

Contact the police on 101 if you suspect illegal activity.

Taking a complaint further

Contact the regulator if you’re unhappy about how the charity deals with your complaint.

Fundraising complaints

Contact the Fundraising Regulator to complain about:

• the way you’ve been asked for donations
• how fundraisers have behaved

You can also complain on behalf of someone else.

Advertising complaints

Contact the Advertising Standards Authority to complain about:

• an advertising campaign you think is offensive, deceptive or inaccurate
• the amount of emails or mail you get from a charity

You can change how often you get emails, phone calls, texts or post from a charity using the Fundraising Preference Service.

Other serious complaints

Report serious concerns to the Charity Commission, for example if a charity is:

• not doing what it claims to do
• losing lots of money
• harming people
• being used for personal profit or gain
• involved in illegal activity

There is a different process for reporting serious concerns about charities in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Responsibilities of trustees and auditors

Report serious incidents to the Charity Commission if you’re a trustee of a charity in England or Wales.

Auditors must report any financial irregularities to the Charity Commission when examining a charity’s accounts.

Read the guidance for trustees on reporting serious incidents.

Charity employees with serious complaints

You can report suspected wrongdoing in any organisation you work for by making a whistleblowing complaint.

Email the Charity Commission if you’re in England or Wales.

Charity Commission - whistleblowing whistleblowing@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk

Read about how the Charity Commission deals with a whistleblowing complaint.

There’s a different process in Scotland and Northern Ireland.