How do I check a charity or fundraiser is genuine?

The registers that settle it in two minutes, what a collector must be able to show you, and the giving methods that leave a trail.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 10 min
Read: 3 min

Short answer

Ask for the registered charity number and check it on the Charity Commission register, or OSCR in Scotland and the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Then donate through the charity's own website rather than through the link, collector or message that reached you.

Most fundraising is legitimate. The checks are quick, and doing them consistently means you never have to make an awkward judgement at the door or in the street.

Step by step

Ask for the registered number.Charities in England and Wales above a small income threshold must register with the Charity Commission and display the number. Scotland has OSCR, Northern Ireland has its own commission.
Look it up on the register itself.Search the number, not the name. The register shows the official name, the address, the trustees and the accounts. A number that returns a different charity is the giveaway.
Check street and door collectors properly.They should carry an identity badge and a licence or permit from the local council, and the collecting tin should be sealed and branded. You are entitled to ask, and to say no.
Never feel obliged to decide on the doorstep.Say you will donate through the website and close the conversation. Genuine fundraisers are used to this; the pressure to decide now is itself a signal.
Donate through the charity's own site.Type the address yourself rather than following a link from a message, a social post or an advert. This defeats look-alike domains entirely.
Treat personal crowdfunding differently.Individual appeals are not charities and are not regulated in the same way. Look for a verified connection to the person or family, and accept that you are trusting the organiser.
Be extra careful after a disaster.Fake appeals appear within hours. For a UK response, the Disasters Emergency Committee coordinates the main charities and is a safe route.
Report anything that looks fraudulent.To the Charity Commission or the relevant regulator, to the Fundraising Regulator for pressure or bad practice, and to Action Fraud if money was taken deceptively.

Tips

Paying by card rather than bank transfer gives you chargeback rights if the appeal turns out to be fraudulent.
Small local groups may legitimately be unregistered if their income is below the threshold. Ask who the treasurer is and whether accounts are published.
A charity that pressures, refuses to give a number, or asks for a bank transfer to a personal account is not one to give to.

Common mistakes

Checking the name rather than the number — Fake appeals use names extremely close to well-known charities. The registered number is the identifier that cannot be imitated.
Giving by bank transfer to a personal account — There is no recourse, no receipt and no Gift Aid. Genuine charities take card payments through their own site.

If it doesn't work

Collector has no identification

Cause: Either unprepared or not genuine — Fix: Decline, note the location and description, and report it to the council, which licenses street collections.

Number checks out but the website looks wrong

Cause: A cloned site using a real charity's details — Fix: Use the web address shown on the official register rather than the one you were sent.

Already donated to something that looks fake

Cause: The appeal was convincing — Fix: Contact your card provider about a chargeback, report to Action Fraud, and tell the real charity if their name was used.

Questions people ask

Is Gift Aid a sign of a real charity?

It is a reasonable signal, since claiming it requires HMRC registration, but it can be displayed dishonestly on a fake page. Check the register regardless.

How much of my donation reaches the cause?

The register publishes the charity's accounts, including spending on fundraising and administration. That is a better basis for a decision than any figure quoted at you.