Charity Annual Report: What to Include & How to Write One

Every UK charity must produce an annual report — it's a legal requirement. But done well, it's also your most powerful communication tool.

Legal Requirements

Charities with income over £25,000 must file their annual report with the Charity Commission. All charities (regardless of income) must prepare one.

Minimum Content (Charity Commission Requirements)

• Charity name, registration number, and address
• Names of all trustees who served during the year
• Name and address of any custodian trustee
• Objectives of the charity
• Summary of main activities and achievements
• Financial summary
• Statement of trustee responsibilities
• How the charity is governed

Recommended Structure

1. Chair's foreword (1 page) — personal reflection on the year
2. About us (1 page) — mission, vision, values, legal structure
3. Year in numbers (1 page) — key statistics in a visual format
4. What we did (3-5 pages) — activities, programmes, projects. Include stories and quotes from beneficiaries.
5. Impact (1-2 pages) — outcomes vs objectives. What changed because of your work?
6. Financial review (2-3 pages) — income, expenditure, reserves, material investments
7. Governance (1 page) — how the charity is governed, trustee recruitment, risk management
8. Plans for next year (1 page) — strategic priorities and goals
9. Thank you (1 page) — donors, funders, volunteers, partners
10. Financial statements — accounts as required by charity size

Making It Engaging

• Lead with impact, not process — "We helped 500 families" not "We held 12 board meetings"
• Use photos — real photos of real beneficiaries (with consent)
• Include stories — one powerful beneficiary story beats 10 pages of statistics
• Design matters — a well-designed PDF builds credibility. Use Canva (free for charities)
• Keep it concise — 16-24 pages total. Nobody reads a 60-page annual report.

Filing Deadlines

• 10 months after the end of your financial year
• File via the Charity Commission's online portal
• Late filing results in a warning on your charity's public record