伊人直播

Executive summary

Overall, the Charity Commission鈥檚 customer service is still rated highly: two-thirds of surveyed customers say it is good or very good, a slight increase on last year鈥檚 rating.

There are signs that improvements to guidance and other services have had an effect. When prompted, around a third suggest some of the Commission鈥檚 services have improved, and they qualitatively note that there is greater use of plain English and clear headings within guidance.

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鈥檚 website and register are rated highly.

As in 2019 to 2020, practical interactions continue to drive positivity. The register and annual returns processes are rated highly and mostly regarded as intuitive. When able to speak to staff, most customers praise their professional and helpful service.

Those more critical of the Commission鈥檚 services continue to find the website difficult to navigate and the information they seek hard to find, despite improvements overall. They believe the Commission needs a more intuitive search engine that produces fewer 鈥榟its鈥� and is clearly differentiated from the wider gov.uk website. Some are concerned that the Commission鈥檚 information and guidance is not written for people like them, because it is overly technical or is not applicable 鈥榠n the real world鈥�. They would like better access to Commission staff to resolve those queries they cannot solve themselves.

Customers have found coronavirus (COVID-19) information useful, though only a small number have used it.

Charity Commission customer service

Views of the Charity Commission鈥檚 customer service remain positive, with a majority rating it as good

69% of those surveyed rate the Charity Commission鈥檚 service as 鈥榞ood鈥� (29% very good, 40% good). This is up 5% since 2019 to 2020.

7% rate the Charity Commission鈥檚 service as 鈥榩oor鈥�. This is down 3% since 2019 to 2020.

Note: survey question was 鈥淥verall, how would you rate the Charity Commission鈥檚 customer service?鈥� Base 1,315.

Larger charities are slightly less likely to rate the Commission鈥檚 services highly

Charity income	Percentage that rated Charity Commission鈥檚 services as 鈥榞ood鈥�	Same figure from 2019 to 2020 survey
拢0 to 拢10,000	73%	68%
拢10,000 to 拢25,000	74%	63%
拢25,000 to 拢100,000	71%	70%
拢100,000 to 拢500,000	66%	65%
拢500,000 to 拢1 million	64%	63%
拢1 million to 拢5 million	57%	54%
More than 拢5 million	56%	55%

Rating of the Charity Commission鈥檚 services has improved amongst all customers since last year

Customer group	Percentage that rated Charity Commission鈥檚 services as 鈥榞ood鈥�	Same figure from 2019 to 2020 survey
Volunteer	78%	71%
Trustee, board or committee member	74%	69%
Chair	73%	68%
Professional advisor	73%	67%
Treasurer	72%	66%
Other	72%	56%
Member of staff	56%	49%

Note: survey question was 鈥淥verall, how would you rate the Charity Commission鈥檚 customer service?鈥� Base 2019: 0 to 10k (284), 10k to 25k (201), 25k to 100k (296), 100k to 500k (255), 500k to 1m (89), 1m to 5m (127), more than 5m (127). Base 2020: 0 to 10k (327), 10k to 25k (195), 25k to 100k (275), 100k to 500k (235), 500k to 1m (59), 1m to 5m (90), more than 5m (109).

Contact with the Charity Commission

Contact is mostly made through the website

Channel through which respondents had come into contact with the Charity Commission	Percentage that used a particular channel	Same figure from 2019 to 2020 survey
I have visited its website	78%	84%
I have used or searched its register	50%	57%
I have sent it an email or emails	43%	51%
I have been contacted directly by the Charity Commission	28%	27%
I have called the contact centre	17%	24%
I have written it a letter or letters	10%	13%
Other	12%	10%
I have had no contact with the Commission in the last year	5%	3%

Note: survey question was 鈥淭hrough which channels have you come into contact with the Charity Commission in the last year?鈥� Base 2019 (1,451), 2020 (1,386).

Interaction with the register or more practical functions continues to drive positive sentiment

Of the channels the Commission provides, the register and the website perform best.

Channel	Percentage that rated the channel as 鈥榞ood鈥�	Change from 2019 to 2020 survey
Register	85%	0%
Website	78%	+2%
Email	72%	+8%
Direct contact	70%	+1%
Contact centre	66%	+2%
Letter or post	40%	+5%

Note: survey question was 鈥淗ow would you rate the service that is provided by the Charity Commission through each of these channels overall?鈥� Base: Website (1,085), Register (691), Contact Centre (242), Email (602), Letter /post (136), Contact it has made with you (391).

A majority find it easy to find the information they need on the website.

82% say it is easy to find information (18% very easy, 64% easy). 17% say it is difficult (13% fairly difficult, 3% very difficult).

Note: survey question was 鈥淗ow easy or difficult is it to find the information that you need from the Charity Commission鈥檚 website?鈥� Base: (1,315)

Customers most commonly come into contact with the Commission through practical tasks such as updating their details or accounts

It remains those practical interactions, including updating details and register information, that are rated highest by customers.

Reason for coming into contact with the Charity Commission	Percentage that came into contact with the Charity Commission	Same figure from 2019 to 2020 survey	Percentage that rated those services as good
Updating charity or trustee details	68%	73%	92%
Filing a return or accounts	65%	69%	88%
Looking for information or guidance on the website	49%	51%	74%
Looking for information on the register	37%	41%	88%
Answering a query or to seek advice	28%	33%	73%
Applying for permission to change something	18%	32%	68%
Applying to register a charity	18%	20%	83%
Reporting a serious incident	13%	13%	72%
To look for information about COVID-19 and how it affects your charity	13%	Not applicable	80%
Dealing with a matter that the Commission contacted me about	8%	6%	61%
Other	3%	3%	Not applicable

Note: survey question was 鈥淔or what reasons have you had contact with the Charity Commission in the last year?鈥� Base: 2019 (1,045), 2020 (1,315)

Improvement in services since last year

There has been some perceived improvement in services since last year. Many services are rated slightly higher than last year, most noticeably by those looking for an answer to a query and registering a charity.

Reason for coming into contact with the Charity Commission	Percentage rated as 鈥榞ood鈥� 2019 to 2020	Percentage rated as good鈥� 2020 to 2021
Updating charity or trustee details	89%	92%
Filing a return or accounts	86%	88%
Looking for information or guidance on the website	77%	74%
Looking for information on the register	85%	88%
Answering a query or to seek advice	61%	73%
Applying for permission to change something	62%	68%
Applying to register a charity	71%	83%
Reporting a serious incident	64%	72%
To look for information about COVID-19 and how it affects your charity	Not applicable	80%
Dealing with a matter that the Commission contacted me about	68%	61%

Note: survey question was 鈥淔or what reasons have you had contact with the Charity Commission in the last year?鈥� Base: Registering (235), Filing (852), Updating details (647), Register (489), Query (369), Permission (240), RSI (176), Contacted me (99), COVID-19 (166)

When prompted most say the Commission鈥檚 services have stayed the same, although a significant minority point to some improvement.

Charity Commission service	Improved	Stayed the same	Got worse	Don鈥檛 know
Filing a return or accounts	30%	58%	4%	9%
Updating charity or trustee details	30%	55%	3%	13%
Guidance	30%	44%	2%	24%
Website	29%	50%	3%	18%
Register	29%	46%	2%	23%
Applying to register a charity	25%	22%	9%	44%
Contact centre	22%	35%	9%	35%

Note: survey question was 鈥淗ave you noticed any change in the quality of the following services in the last 12 months?鈥� Base: Its website (1,049), Its register (740), Its contact centre (242), Filing returns or accounts (852), Updating charity or trustee details (891), Apply to register a charity (235), Guidance (1,049)

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 4 key areas.

Helpful and professional staff

When able to speak to someone at the Commission, usually via the contact centre or email, customers are impressed with the service they receive

Staff are seen to be helpful and professional

Some feel the website can be confusing or difficult to navigate, particularly the search function, and so discussing a query with a member of staff is highly valued

The charity register and annual returns

As in last year鈥檚 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.

General advice and guidance

Customers value the wealth of information and guidance available on the Commission鈥檚 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.

Updating details online

Many say the online filing system works well, and they appreciate the ease at which they can update details about their charity online.

Areas for improvement

Whilst the Commission is seen to provide detailed and helpful services, ratings for concision and ease of access remain lower.

Description of Charity Commission services	Percentage who agreed	Percentage who disagreed	Percentage who agreed from 2019 to 2020 survey
Comprehensive	73%	6%	72%
Sufficiently detailed	72%	7%	71%
Aimed at people in roles like mine	68%	9%	69%
Clear	67%	10%	64%
Easy to understand or follow	65%	11%	62%
Easy to find or access	62%	13%	59%
Understands my needs	59%	13%	Not applicable
Concise	58%	12%	60%

Note: survey question was 鈥淯sing a scale of 1 to 5, to what extent would you say that the services provided by the Charity Commission are鈥� Base: 2019 (1,405), 2020 (1,315)

Calls for improvement centre on providing clear and accessible information for all customers

Clear and accessible information

Despite some suggestion that the Commission has improved its website and guidance over the past year, the most common criticisms still relate to 鈥榗omplicated鈥� information that some feel is inaccessible to those who may be less experienced or work for smaller charities.

Terminology used is sometimes viewed to be overly complex or legal in nature, and not aimed at ordinary people.

Responsiveness

Understandably, those frustrated with the website or guidance believe the Commission needs to provide an option to speak to a member of staff to try to resolve queries.

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.

Website functionality

As was prevalent in last year鈥檚 survey, there are complaints that the website is too difficult to navigate.

It is seen to be 鈥榗lunky鈥� and unresponsive in many areas, such as when using the search function, navigating through guidance or looking for specific information.

Interpretation of guidance

Some suggest that the Commission fails to advise charities where guidance requires a 鈥榬eal world interpretation鈥�.

These people are frustrated with a 鈥榦ne size fits all approach鈥� which ignores the needs of specific charities or does not account for how the rules may apply to charities in 鈥榬eal life鈥�.

This is partly seen to be linked to difficulty in speaking to an advisor or case worker.

Overall, customers would like to receive more help from staff verbally or guidance that is better tailored to certain audiences or processes

Customers who had not had contact with the Charity Commission

The few who had not had contact with the Charity Commission thought they did not want or need it

5% of those surveyed had no contact with the Charity Commission.

Why customers had no contact with the Charity Commission

1. I did not want or need any help or contact (85%)
2. I wanted help with the management of my charity but I did not know that the Charity Commission provided it (4%)
3. I wanted help with the management of my charity but I got it from another source (3%)
4. I wanted help with the management of my charity but did not know where to start (3%)
5. Other (7%)

Methodology

Yonder conducted an online survey of 1,315 participants taken from the Charity Commission鈥檚 database of charity main contacts. Participants came from a range of charity types, regional areas of focus, and length of tenure. Sample is not representative of the charity register.

Where relevant, answer options were randomised and scales rotated.

Appendix

Involvement in the COVID-19 pandemic

How respondents said their charity had been involved in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic	Percentage who said their charity had been involved in a particular way
Not involved	49%
Helping those in isolation	25%
Other	21%
Helping those in financial need	18%
Helping those shielding	16%
Delivering medical care	4%
Medical research	1%

鈥極ther鈥� includes:

• delivering or coordinating food supplies
• general COVID-19 advice
• childcare
• education
• accommodation
• online support

About the survey respondents

Role

Charity role	Percentage of respondents
Trustee	36%
Member of staff	26%
Chair	25%
Treasurer	22%
Volunteer	11%
Other	7%
Professional advisor	2%

Years operating

Number of years the charity has been operating	Percentage of respondents
Up to 5 years	25%
6 to 10 years	9%
11 to 15 years	7%
16 to 20 years	9%
21 to 30 years	13%
31 to 50 years	16%
51 to 75 years	7%
76 years or more	14%

Charity income

Charity income	Percentage of respondents
拢0 to 拢10,000	26%
拢10,001 to 拢25,000	15%
拢25,001 to 拢100,000	21%
拢100,001 to 拢500,000	17%
拢500,001 to 拢1 million	4%
拢1,000,001 to 拢5 million	7%
More than 拢5 million	8%

Geography (primary area)

Charity primary area or country	Percentage of respondents
South East	15%
London	12%
South West	12%
No primary area	10%
East of England	9%
North West	8%
West Midlands	7%
Yorkshire and the Humber	7%
East Midlands	6%
Overseas	6%
North East	4%
Wales	4%
Scotland	0%
Northern Ireland	0%

Charity remit

Charity remit	Percentage of respondents
Education or training	40%
Prevention or relief of poverty	19%
Health or saving lives	17%
Religious activities	17%
General charitable purposes	16%
Arts, culture or heritage	15%
Recreation	13%
Disability	11%
Economic or community development, or unemployment	9%
Other charitable purposes	9%
Environment or conservation	8%
Accommodation or housing	6%
Amateur sport	6%
Equality or diversity	6%
Overseas aid or famine	5%
Animal welfare	3%
Human rights, religious or racial harmony	3%
Science and technology	2%
Armed forces or emergency services	2%