Commission outlines further improvements to its online register

Finance | Gareth Jones | 24 Mar 2009

The Charity Commission has called the performance of its revamped online Register of Charities “very encouraging”, and is looking into a range of changes in response to feedback.

A report on the impact of the register, to be presented to the Commission’s board on Thursday, says the functionality of the register has performed largely “as planned”, while an audit on its accuracy by PKF said procedures for recording data were “robust and effective”.

It adds that despite occasional queries, there have been “no examples of inaccurate or out-of-date information being displayed as a result of systematic flaws”.

Further improvements

In response to feedback, the Commission has agreed, subject to cost, that charities with income below £500,000 will have the option of completing part B of the annual return and therefore have a full register display.

It also intends to confirm the status of subsidiaries in the annual return and to change the colour of the title banner for removed charities.

Other plans include improvements to the search facility, options for comparing charities, and improved range and presentation of data for the sector as a whole.

A further suggestion the Commission has yet to evaluate is the introduction of an alert subscription service to notify users when chosen charities’ annual returns or accounts are received.

During 2008, roughly 2.3 million visitors came directly to the Register, while in the 12 weeks after its launch in October there was a 35 per cent increase in traffic.

Directory: Charity Commission
Who's Who: Gareth Jones

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