Charity Commission rules
Also covers: Charities Act 2011 and 2022.
Show your registered charity number on the website, appeals and fundraising pages.
What your website and marketing must show to stay compliant in charity
The rules that apply to a UK charity business, turned into what your site, ads and social posts must show, or must not say. Each point links to the regulator or the legislation it comes from.
General guidance, not legal advice. Rules change and depend on your circumstances; check the linked source or take advice from a qualified adviser before relying on any point.
Charity rules
CIC Regulator CIC34
Show the CIC's full registered name and company number.
Charity Governance Code
Publishing your trustees and governance approach is recommended practice.
Source: Charity Governance Code
ICO art 37 DPO
Where a DPO is required, publish their contact details in the privacy notice.
AML regulations 2017
Tell clients up front that you will verify their identity; name your AML supervisor where that helps trust.
Gift Aid rules
Use a correct Gift Aid declaration wherever you collect donations online.
Source: Gift Aid
Charities SORP 2026
Any impact or spend figures you publish should reconcile with your accounts.
Source: Charities SORP
Fundraising Regulator Code of Fundraising Practice
Fundraising asks must be clear about who is asking and how money is used; show the Fundraising Regulator badge only if you are registered.
Source: Code of Fundraising Practice
Charity Commission serious incident reporting
No display duty; keep public statements consistent with what you have reported.
PECR fundraising consent
Ask for consent before non-essential cookies or analytics run, and before emailing or texting individuals for marketing; give an unsubscribe in every message.
Every UK business site
Whatever the sector, these apply to almost every business website.
Company and trading details
A limited company's site must show its registered name, company number, place of registration and registered office address.
Source: Company and trading details
Privacy notice
Say who you are, what each form collects, why, how long you keep it and how people use their rights.
Source: Privacy notice
Cookie consent
Non-essential cookies and analytics wait for consent, and refusing is as easy as accepting.
Source: Cookie consent
Honest claims
Every claim, review and comparison is true, evidenced and not misleading (CAP Code).
Source: Honest claims
Genuine reviews
No fake, bought or selectively hidden reviews (DMCC Act 2024).
Source: Genuine reviews
Sector context
Recent changes in the sector that affect what your marketing should say, from the sources linked.
- Charities SORP 2026 applies to accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026 (source)
- Annual return due within 10 months of financial year end (source)
- Companies House identity verification for directors and PSCs mandatory from 18 November 2025 with a 12-month transition (source)
- SIC 2007 code definitions (source)
See how your site measures up
The free grader checks your site against the visible signals buyers, search engines and AI assistants look for, including several of the points above.
Grade my website Charity websites