Charity Commission customer survey 2021
Published 14 July 2022
Applies to England and Wales
© Crown copyright 2022
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charity-commission-customer-survey-2021/charity-commission-customer-survey-2021
Research conducted on behalf of the Charity Commission by Yonder.
March 2022
Executive summary
Overall, the Charity Commission’s customer service continues to be rated highly: as last year, 69% of surveyed customers say it is good or very good.
Some customers continue to recognise improvements. A significant minority continue to perceive improvements in the Commission’s services, particularly in facilitating the formulaic tasks of filing reports and accounts and updating trustee details.
Customers continue primarily to come into contact with the Commission through its website, mostly to perform tasks required of them such as updating their details and filing their accounts. The Commission’s website and register are rated highly and many are impressed by the quantity of information available.
Customers are positive about the personal interactions they’ve had with Commission staff. When able to speak to staff, most customers praise their professional and helpful service. It is access to, rather than the quality of, such interactions that customers would like to see improve.
Some customers continue to call for improvements to support. Some continue to struggle to find what they want with the website’s search function. When they seek guidance on the phone or via email, many find it takes too long to get through or to receive a reply. Some say they find the Commission’s information and guidance hard to understand and too tailored to those with professional expertise.
Customers have found COVID-19 information useful, though the number using it has almost halved since 2020/21.
The Charity Commission’s customer service continues to be rated highly
A majority rate the Charity Commission’s customer service as good
Rating of the Charity Commission’s customer service
| Rating | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 5- Very good | 30% |
| 4 | 39% |
| 3 | 16% |
| 2 | 5% |
| 1-Very poor | 4% |
Q. Overall, how would you rate the Charity Commission’s customer service? Base: (1,148)
Smaller charities continue to rate the Commission’s customer service more highly than larger ones
Percentage who agree that the Commission’s customer service is good
| Annual Income | Year | Agreement customer service is good |
|---|---|---|
| £0-£10,000 | 2019/20 | 68% |
| 2020/21 | 73% | |
| 2021/22 | 75% | |
| £10,001-£25,000 | 2019/20 | 63% |
| 2020/21 | 74% | |
| 2021/22 | 72% | |
| £25,001-£100,000 | 2019/20 | 70% |
| 2020/21 | 71% | |
| 2021/22 | 69% | |
| £100,001-£500,000 | 2019/20 | 65% |
| 2020/21 | 66% | |
| 2021/22 | 67% | |
| £500,001+ | 2019/20 | 57% |
| 2020/21 | 58% | |
| 2021/22 | 58% |
Q. Overall, how would you rate the Charity Commission’s customer service? Base: 2019: £0-£10,000 (284), £10,001-£25,000 (201), £25,001-£100,000 (296), £100,001-£500,000 (255), £500,001+ (343); 2020: £0-£10,000 (327), £10,001-£25,000 (195), £25,001-£100,000 (275), £100,001-£500,000 (235), £500,001+ (258); 2021: £0-£10,000 (315), £10,001-£25,000 (187), £25,001-£100,000 (254), £100,001-£500,000 (165), £500,001+ (197)
Contact is made mostly through the website
Most contact with the Charity Commission continues to come through its website
Since 2019/20 has been a reduction in contact with the Charity Commission via website, register, email and letter
Channels respondent has come into contact with the Charity Commission in the last year
| Contact channel | Year | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| I have visited its website | 2019/20 | 84% |
| 2020/21 | 78% | |
| 2021/22 | 81% ** | |
| I have used/ searched its register | 2019/20 | 57% |
| 2020/21 | 50% | |
| 2021/22 | 51% ** | |
| I have sent it an email or emails | 2019/20 | 51% |
| 2020/21 | 43% | |
| 2021/22 | 45% ** | |
| I have been contacted directly by the Charity Commission | 2019/20 | 27% |
| 2020/21 | 28% | |
| 2021/22 | 26% | |
| I have called the contact centre | 2019/20 | 24% |
| 2020/21 | 17% | |
| 2021/22 | 23%* | |
| I have written it a letter or letters | 2019/20 | 13% |
| 2020/21 | 10% | |
| 2021/22 | 8%* | |
| Other | 2019/20 | 10% |
| 2020/21 | 12% | |
| 2021/22 | 18% | |
| I have had no contact with the Commission in the last year | 2019/20 | 3% |
| 2020/21 | 5% | |
| 2021/22 | 4% |
Q. Through which channels have you come into contact with the Charity Commission in the last year? Base: 2021/2022 (1,191), 2020/2021 (1,386), 2019/2020 (1,451)
** indicates a significant change since 2019/2020, * indicates a significant change since 2020/2021
And interaction with the register and website, or more practical functions continues to drive positive sentiment
The register and the website continue to be the best performing of the Commission’s channels. Rating of email contact has fallen since 2020/21
Percentage who rate the services they used by the Charity Commission as good
| Contact channel | Year | Agreement service is good |
|---|---|---|
| Its website | 2019/20 | 76% |
| 2020/21 | 78% | |
| 2021/22 | 81% ** | |
| Its register | 2019/20 | 85% |
| 2020/21 | 85% | |
| 2021/22 | 87% | |
| Its contact centre | 2019/20 | 62% |
| 2020/21 | 66% | |
| 2021/22 | 66% | |
| 2019/20 | 64% | |
| 2020/21 | 72% | |
| 2021/22 | 63% * | |
| Letter/post | 2019/20 | 35% |
| 2020/21 | 40% | |
| 2021/22 | 35% | |
| The direct contact it has made for you | 2019/20 | 69% |
| 2020/21 | 70% | |
| 2021/22 | 70% |
Q. How would you rate the service that is provided by the Charity Commission through each of these channels overall?. Base: 2019: Website (1,215), Register (831), Contact Centre (350), Email (744), Letter/post (184), Contact it has made with you (394); 2020: Website (1,085), Register (691), Contact Centre (242), Email (602), Letter/post (136), Contact it has made with you (391); 2021: Website (965), Register (609), Contact Centre (279), Email (535), Letter/post (97) (NB Small base size), Contact it has made with you (304)
** indicates a significant change since 2019/2020, * indicates a significant change since 2020/2021
A majority find it easy to locate the information they need on the website, with no change in ease since 2020/21
Amongst the 81% who use the website, 83% find it easy
| Rating | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Very easy | 20% |
| Fairly easy | 63% |
| Fairly difficult | 13% |
| Very difficult | 3% |
| Don’t know | 2% |
Q. How easy or difficult is it to find the information that you need from the Charity Commission’s website? Base 2021 (1,148)
Whilst this had reduced since 2019/20, customers most commonly come into contact with the Commission through practical tasks such as updating their details or accounts
Percentage who have come into contact with the Charity Commission for the following reasons
| Reasons for contact | Year | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Updating charity or trustee details | 2019/20 | 73% |
| 2020/21 | 68% | |
| 2021/22 | 68% ** | |
| Filing a return or accounts | 2019/20 | 69% |
| 2020/21 | 65% | |
| 2021/22 | 65% ** | |
| Looking for information or guidance on the website | 2019/20 | 51% |
| 2020/21 | 49% | |
| 2021/22 | 48% | |
| Looking for information on the register | 2019/20 | 41% |
| 2020/21 | 37% | |
| 2021/22 | 38% | |
| Answering a query or to seek advice | 2019/20 | 33% |
| 2020/21 | 28% | |
| 2021/22 | 31% | |
| Applying for permission to change something | 2019/20 | 32% |
| 2020/21 | 18% | |
| 2021/22 | 23% * ** | |
| Applying to register a charity | 2019/20 | 20% |
| 2020/21 | 18% | |
| 2021/22 | 21% | |
| Reporting a serious incident | 2019/20 | 13% |
| 2020/21 | 13% | |
| 2021/22 | 9% * ** | |
| To look for information about COVID-19 and how it affects your charity | 2019/20 | Question not asked |
| 2020/21 | 13% | |
| 2021/22 | 7% * | |
| Dealing with a matter that the Commission contacted me about | 2019/20 | 6% |
| 2020/21 | 8% | |
| 2021/22 | 5% * | |
| Other | 2019/20 | 3% |
| 2020/21 | 3% | |
| 2021/22 | 3% |
Q. For what reasons have you had contact with the Charity Commission in the last year? Base: 2019 (1,405), 2020 (1,315), 2021 (1,148)
** indicates a significant change since 2019/2020, * indicates a significant change since 2020/2021
Updating details, searching the register and filing returns or accounts are the most highly rated services
Reasons why respondents came into contact with the Charity Commission and their rating of the service
| Reason for contact | Percentage who contacted commission for this service | Percentage who rate the service as good or very good |
|---|---|---|
| Updating charity or trustee details | 68% | 91% |
| Filing a return or accounts | 65% | 90% |
| Looking for information or guidance on the website | 48% | 77% |
| Looking for information on the register | 38% | 91% |
| Answering a query or to seek advice | 31% | 65% |
| Applying for permission to change something | 23% | 64% |
| Applying to register a charity | 18% | 77% |
| Reporting a serious incident | 9% | 64% |
| To look for information about COVID-19 and how it affects your charity | 7% | 86% |
| Dealing with a matter that the Commission contacted me about | 5% | 65% |
| Other | 3% |
Q. For what reasons have you had contact with the Charity Commission in the last year? Base: Registering (244), Filing (743), Updating details (778), Register (434), Query (356), Permission (260), RSI (101), Contacted me (63), COVID-19 (80) NB Some low base sizes
Rating of services is broadly consistent with year-on-year findings
Rating of services is broadly stable across years but there has been some fluctuation when it comes to making applications, answering a query/seeking advice, and reporting incidents
Percentage of service users who rate the service as good or very good
| Reasons for contact | Year | Percentage who rate the service as good or very good |
|---|---|---|
| Updating charity or trustee details | 2019/20 | 89% |
| 2020/21 | 92% | |
| 2021/22 | 91% | |
| Filing a return or accounts | 2019/20 | 86% |
| 2020/21 | 88% | |
| 2021/22 | 90% | |
| Looking for information or guidance on the website | 2019/20 | 77% |
| 2020/21 | 74% | |
| 2021/22 | 77% | |
| Looking for information on the register | 2019/20 | 85% |
| 2020/21 | 88% | |
| 2021/22 | 91% ** | |
| Answering a query or to seek advice | 2019/20 | 61% |
| 2020/21 | 73% | |
| 2021/22 | 65% * | |
| Applying for permission to change something | 2019/20 | 62% |
| 2020/21 | 68% | |
| 2021/22 | 64% | |
| Applying to register a charity | 2019/20 | 71% |
| 2020/21 | 83% | |
| 2021/22 | 77% | |
| Reporting a serious incident | 2019/20 | 64% |
| 2020/21 | 72% | |
| 2021/22 | 64% | |
| To look for information about COVID-19 and how it affects your charity | 2019/20 | Question not asked |
| 2020/21 | 80% | |
| 2021/22 | 86% | |
| Dealing with a matter that the Commission contacted me about | 2019/20 | 68% |
| 2020/21 | 61% | |
| 2021/22 | 65% |
How would you rate the service that is provided by the Charity Commission in each of these areas? Base size varies (63-778)
** indicates a significant change since 2019/2020, * indicates a significant change since 2020/2021
When prompted, most say the Commission’s services have stayed the same, although a significant minority point to some improvement
| Improved | Stayed the same | Got worse | Don’t know | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filing a return or accounts | 28% | 59% | 3% | 10% |
| Updating charity or trustee details | 27% | 55% | 2% | 16% |
| Guidance | 25% | 48% | 3% | 24% |
| Its website | 24% | 54% | 2% | 20% |
| Applying to register a charity | 22% | 28% | 4% | 46% |
| Its contact centre | 21% | 39% | 11% | 30% |
| Its register | 20% | 57% | 2% | 21% |
Q. Have you noticed any change in the quality of the following services in the last 12 months? Base size varies (279-981)
Most believe that the Commission provides helpful advice and support overall as well as largely intuitive online systems
The commission is seen to be most helpful in four key areas
Helpful & professional staff
When able to speak to someone at the Commission, usually via the contact centre or email, customers continue be impressed with the service they receive.
Staff are seen to be helpful and professional.
For those who struggle with navigating the website, the contact centre staff are felt to be crucial.
Quotes from research
“The individual on the phone clearly wanted to help me get the application right.”
“e-mail replies were very clear and helpful.”
“The person I spoke to was efficient, knowledgeable and very helpful, resolving the query in a few minutes.”
General advice and guidance
Customers value the wealth of information and guidance available on the Commission’s website.
Many say it is clear, accessible and covers all the key elements those involved in the running of charities need to know.
Some say guidance has improved in the past year, and has been particularly useful in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Quotes from research
“Guidance is very detailed.”
“The feedback and advice to achieve my goals was really helpful.”
“Very helpful in resolving the issue regarding our objects in the Articles of Association and suggesting amendments so we could be registered as a charity.”
The charity register and annual returns
As in last year’s survey, the register and annual returns system are generally thought to work well.
There is some recognition that improvements have been made to the layout of the website which some say is clearer and easier to use.
Quotes from research
“Register of Charities is the best and easiest function.”
“I feel it is a trustworthy source of registered charity information.”
“So easy to do Annual Returns nowadays.”
Availability of information
The website attracts praise from those who value the availability of a large amount of information and who feel able to access what they need.
However, there is a minority who criticise the website.
Quotes from research
“The range of information on the website makes it a useful ‘go to’ resource, whatever the subject matter.”
“I generally find looking for information easy, there are plenty of files on the majority of things Trustees may be seeking help with.”
“The information on the Charity Commission’s website is clear and helpful.”
Whilst the Commission is seen to provide detailed and helpful services, ratings for concision and ease of access remain lower
Services are seen to be comprehensive and detailed, with high levels of agreement for all measures
| Descriptors of the services provided | NET: Agree | Neither agree nor disagree | NET: Disagree |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive | 73% | 20% | 7% |
| Sufficiently detailed | 73% | 20% | 7% |
| Accessible | 71% | 21% | 8% |
| Aimed at people in roles like mine | 70% | 22% | 8% |
| Clear | 68% | 24% | 8% |
| Easy to understand/ follow | 66% | 24% | 10% |
| Easy to find/ access | 63% | 26% | 11% |
| Timely | 62% | 25% | 13% |
| Concise | 60% | 28% | 12% |
| Understands my needs | 59% | 29% | 11% |
Q. Using a scale of 1-5, to what extent would you say that the services provided by the Charity Commission are… Base: 2021/22 (1,148)
Services are seen to be comprehensive and detailed, with clarity, ease to follow and ease of access increasing since 2019/20
| Descriptors of the services provided | Year | NET: Agree |
|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive | 2019/20 | 72% |
| 2020/21 | 73% | |
| 2021/22 | 73% | |
| Sufficiently detailed | 2019/20 | 71% |
| 2020/21 | 72% | |
| 2021/22 | 73% | |
| Accessible | 2019/20 | Question not asked |
| 2020/21 | Question not asked | |
| 2021/22 | 71% | |
| Aimed at people in roles like mine | 2019/20 | 69% |
| 2020/21 | 68% | |
| 2021/22 | 70% | |
| Clear | 2019/20 | 64% |
| 2020/21 | 67% | |
| 2021/22 | 68% ** | |
| Easy to understand/ follow | 2019/20 | 62% |
| 2020/21 | 65% | |
| 2021/22 | 66% ** | |
| Easy to find/ access | 2019/20 | 59% |
| 2020/21 | 62% | |
| 2021/22 | 63% ** | |
| Timely | 2019/20 | Question not asked |
| 2020/21 | Question not asked | |
| 2021/22 | 62% | |
| Concise | 2019/20 | 60% |
| 2020/21 | 58% | |
| 2021/22 | 60% | |
| Understands my needs | 2019/20 | Question not asked |
| 2020/21 | 59% | |
| 2021/22 | 59% |
Q. Using a scale of 1-5, to what extent would you say that the services provided by the Charity Commission are… Base: 2019 (1,405), 2020 (1,315), 2021 (1,148)
** indicates a significant change since 2019/2020, * indicates a significant change since 2020/2021
Indeed, calls for improvement focus on providing clear & accessible information for all customers
Suggestions for improvement are focussed on how accessible and understandable guidance is
Clear and accessible information
Terminology is still sometimes found to be overly complex or legal in nature, and not aimed at ordinary people.
People remain keen that there should be someone available on the phone if they cannot access what they need by other means.
Quotes from research
“Once I was in contact with a named person who was able to give me targeted advice it was very good. Prior to that it was extremely difficult.”
“Although the website is reasonably straightforward it would be nice to have easier access to a real person - I am the only person at one charity who can manage to use a computer.”
Interpretation of guidance
Some continue to find the Commission’s advice impractical for non-professionals to follow.
These people are frustrated with a ‘one size fits all approach’ which ignores the needs of specific charities or does not account for how the rules may apply to charities in ‘real life’.
This is partly seen to be linked to difficulty in speaking to an advisor or case worker.
Quotes from research
“Remember many of us are not professionals, we don’t have sector knowledge and expertise. That’s what we come looking for! Just expecting us to do everything right is not helpful, we want to be told and/or shown how in basic simple language.”
“Simpler process for filling out annual returns and more guidance for non finance people.”
“The guidance on Serious Incident Reporting is awful - unclear and unhelpful.”
Responsiveness
When email communications are mentioned, it is often in the context of slow responses or not receiving a response at all.
Some feel the process of contacting the contact centre or email queries can take far too long, leaving them confused or unable to resolve their issue.
Quotes from research
“Email exchanges regarding changing the terms of the charity – though the response was slow (weeks).”
“When replying to an email with further questions I did not receive a reply, so I haven’t really had a helpful experience.”
“I’ve never had any response to emails.”
Website functionality
Though some find the amount of information helpful, others struggle to navigate it and find what they are looking for.
People continue to find that the search function frequently does not to bring up what they need.
Quotes from research
“The site itself is very in-depth and for someone setting up a charity for the first time it is exhausting and feels like a minefield.”
“It is very difficult to understand the website, definitely a case of information overload. It needs to be simplified big time - definitely not user friendly for an old fogie like me.”
“The search functionality on the website could be better.”
Customers continue to desire more accessible channels of verbal communication as well as quicker responses and clearer guidance
Customers would like:
Oral contact with the Commission
Quotes from research
“A telephone helpline where questions can be answered and guidance given on issues.”
“A contact for quick queries or clarification about any aspect of the Commission’s guidance.”
Greater responsiveness to queries and problems
Quotes from research
“Timely action on communications and actions by the Commission to avoid repeating submissions.”
“They are prepared to let things go on getting worse until a serious incident occurs as a result of their not being proactive.”
“I submitted an application, waited several weeks, and only then did I receive a huge amount of confusing and non-applicable feedback. If I had this information in the first place, it would have saved me (and the commission!) a lot of time.”
Clearer guidance on specific processes, e.g., submitting reports and accounts and applying for registration
Quotes from research
“Would like the guidance for submitting annual reports and accounts to be clearer in some parts.”
“Guidelines could have been made simpler / clearing when completing application.”
“Clearer, more accessible guidance which can be downloaded and printed, not just only available on web.”
Q. Was there any information or service that you would like to have had from the Charity Commission that you could not get? Base (245)
The few who have not had contact with the Charity Commission thought they did not want or need it
The few who have not had contact with the Charity Commission thought they did not want or need it
4% of those surveyed had no contact with the Charity Commission in the last year. When asked why they had not had any contact with the Commission, most stated that was because they did not want or need any help or contact.
Other reasons given included wanting help with the management of their charity but thought that it would be too time-consuming to contact/use the Charity Commission’s services; wanting help with the management of their charity but did not know where to start; and wanting help with the management of their charity but did not know that the Charity Commission provided it.
Appendix
Methodology
Yonder conducted an online survey of 1,191 participants taken from the Charity Commission’s database, sampled using the Charity Commission’s register. These included a combination of people who had had contact to submit an annual return in the past 12 months, those who had had other forms of contact in the past 12 months (e.g., applied for permission to make a change, were subject to a compliance enforcement case, applied to register, or reported a serious incident), and those who had had no contact at all in the past 12 months.
Where relevant, answer options were randomised, and scales rotated. All questions using opposing statements were asked using a sliding scale.
The data was weighted to be representative of the views and experiences of active customers of the Charity Commission.
Significance testing is used in this report to compare results from previous years against the 2021/22 data to check is differences were statistically significant at the 95% probability level. This means that we can be 95% confident that differences between years are genuine and have not occurred by chance. ** indicates a significant change since 2019/2020, * indicates a significant change since 2020/2021.
Respondents breakdown
Respondents role
| Trustee | 36% |
| Chair | 25% |
| Treasurer | 23% |
| Member of staff | 22% |
| Other | 9% |
| Volunteer | 8% |
| Professional advisor | 2% |
Annual income of the charity
| £0 - £10,000 | 28% |
| £10,001 - £25,000 | 16% |
| £25,001 - £100,000 | 22% |
| £100,001 - £500,000 | 14% |
| £500,001 + | 17% |
Length of time charity has operated
| Up to 5 years | 24% |
| 6-10 years | 9% |
| 11-15 years | 7% |
| 16-20 years | 8% |
| 21-30 years | 13% |
| 31-50 years | 17% |
| 51-75 years | 8% |
| 76+ years | 14% |
Primary area the charity operates
| South East | 17% |
| South West | 14% |
| London | 11% |
| No primary area | 9% |
| North West | 9% |
| East of England | 8% |
| West Midlands | 7% |
| East Midlands | 7% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 6% |
| Overseas | 5% |
| North East | 4% |
| Wales | 4% |
| Scotland | 0% |
| Northern Ireland | 0% |
Charity remit
| Education/ training | 32% |
| Prevention/relief of poverty | 17% |
| Religious activities | 17% |
| General charitable purposes | 17% |
| Health/ saving lives | 16% |
| Recreation | 15% |
| Arts/culture/heritage | 14% |
| Disability | 11% |
| Other charitable purposes | 10% |
| Economic/community development/ unemployment | 8% |
| Environment/ conservation | 8% |
| Equality/diversity | 7% |
| Accomodation/housing | 6% |
| Amateur sport | 6% |
| Overseas aid/famine | 4% |
| Human rights, religious/ racial harmony | 4% |
| Animal welfare | 3% |
| Science and technology | 1% |
| Armed forces/ emergency services | 1% |