Start with what matters to you
A good place to start is with your own priorities rather than a list of charities. Do you want to help children here in the UK, around the world, or both? Are you drawn to emergencies, like conflicts and floods, or to long-term change, like education and health care? Is there an issue that matters to you most, such as child poverty, hunger or keeping children safe?
There's no right answer. Some charities focus on one country or one issue. Others, like Save the Children, work across many, and can send money wherever the need is greatest.
Sameer*, 6 Months, with Ali*, Save the Children staff, during baby kit distribution
How to check a children's charity is trustworthy
You don't need to be an expert. A few minutes with public information tells you a lot.
Check it's registered. Search the charity's name or number on the GOV.UK charity register for England and Wales, the Scottish Charity Register or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. The register shows the charity's trustees, finances and whether its reporting is up to date.
Read its annual report and accounts. Look at how much it raises, what it spends on its work for children, and what it says about what hasn't gone to plan.
Check how it fundraises. Charities that are registered with the Fundraising Regulator follow the Code of Fundraising Practice and can be held to account if something goes wrong.
In the UK there's no single star rating for charities. See how charities are regulated and how Save the Children is rated.
How much of your donation reaches children?
Most reputable charities spend the large majority of their money on their charitable work, and the rest on raising funds and running the organisation. Some fundraising spend is a good sign: it brings in the money that keeps programmes going next year. What matters most is that the charity is open about the split.
At Save the Children, about 85p in every £1 we spent in 2025 went on our work for children in the UK and around the world. See exactly how we use your donation.
Here's what that looks like in practice:
When conflict erupted in Gaza, we established the first maternity unit in a crisis zone where pregnant women had nowhere safe to give birth. Baby Lana was born healthy there - then developed a life-threatening infection due to the family's harsh living conditions. Because the facility existed, she received immediate treatment and made a full recovery.
In Sheffield, we work with families in one of the city's most deprived areas, creating opportunities for children to learn through play. Parents co-design programmes based on what their community actually needs - not what outsiders assume they need.
Across our work, monthly donations of just £10 provide the reliable, unrestricted funding that makes this flexibility possible. Emergencies don't wait for funding cycles. Neither should our response.
You, Me & Us members Dawn, Jane, Beth, Amy T & Amy W, outside the food pantry they've set up in Sheffield Matt Grayson / Save the Children
Why give to a children's charity?
Children aren't just small adults. They're at critical stages of development, when the right support can change their whole life. A 7-year-old missing school today might never catch up. A malnourished toddler can face lifelong effects on their development. But a child who gets nutritious food, safe shelter and good education during these years builds resilience that lasts a lifetime.
The need is large but solvable.
Nearly 900 million children experience multidimensional poverty, going without basics like clean water, health care, shelter or education.
Almost one in five children now live in conflict zones, where the risks grow every day.
Yet when communities get the right support, children's lives change.
Reputable children's charities work with local partners who understand their communities. When drought threatened crops in East Sumba, Indonesia, we didn't just provide emergency food. We introduced solar-powered water systems and climate-friendly farming training, so families could grow enough food for the long term. Young Atika* no longer walks dangerous distances for water. She has time to play and study instead.
Cousins Atika and Dwi, both 12, playing in a tree in drought-affected East Sumba, Indonesia.
Why unrestricted giving matters most
When you make an unrestricted donation - supporting the charity's work generally rather than a specific project - you give organisations the freedom to respond quickly when crisis strikes and fund the unglamorous but essential work that donors rarely think about: training local health workers, repairing water systems before they break, and adapting programmes when circumstances change.
This flexibility proved crucial during COVID-19, when charities with unrestricted funds could pivot immediately to support families suddenly facing unemployment and food insecurity. Restricted donations to specific projects couldn't be redirected, no matter how urgent the need elsewhere.
If you're a UK taxpayer, adding Gift Aid to your donation means charities can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give at no cost to you. Over time, this adds up significantly - turning a £10 monthly donation into £12.50 of impact. Learn more about Gift Aid and how it works.
Can you give to more than one charity?
Yes. You don't have to choose just one. Many people split their giving between several causes that matter to them: a monthly gift to one charity, say, and an emergency donation to another when a crisis hits. If you want to make the biggest difference to a single cause, giving regularly to one charity helps it plan ahead.
Giving at Christmas
Christmas is when many of us give, and when some fraudsters try to take advantage. Give through the charity's own website or a well-known giving platform, check the registered charity number, and take your time if anyone pressures you to give on the spot. This Christmas, there's one delivery that matters more than any. See how we get help to children.
Why some people choose Save the Children
Save the Children was founded in 1919 and has worked with children ever since. We work in the UK and around the world as part of the global Save the Children movement, which supported 37.8 million children in 92 countries in 2025. In the UK, we support families through baby banks and grants, and our campaigning helped end the two-child benefit limit, a change expected to lift 450,000 children out of poverty.
Our teams get help through when it's hardest: school kits by bus in Ukraine, medicine by plane in South Sudan, vaccines by donkey in Somalia and maternity care by boat in Bangladesh.
Umal, 9, playing with her twin brothers Hassan and Hussein, 6-months, inside their home in Somali Region, Ethiopia.
Common questions about donating to children's charities
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What's the 80/20 rule for charities?
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People often use it to mean that a good charity should spend at least 80% of its money on its charitable work and no more than 20% on fundraising and running costs. It's a rough guide, not an official rule. Look for a charity that's open about how it spends its money in its annual report. At Save the Children, about 85p in every £1 we spent in 2025 went on our work for children. See how we use your donation.
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Why are monthly donations more valuable than one-off gifts?
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Monthly giving provides charities with predictable income they can plan around. A £10 monthly donation might seem small, but it funds long-term programmes that prevent problems rather than just responding to crises. One-off gifts are vital for emergency appeals but sustained monthly support powers the steady work that changes communities over time.
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How do I choose which children's charity to support?
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Start with the cause you care about most. Then check the charity is on a charity register, read its annual report to see how it spends donations, and look at what it has achieved. Strong partnerships with local communities and children's voices in decision-making are good signs too.
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How do I know a charity is legitimate?
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Ask for its registered charity number and check it on the GOV.UK charity register, the Scottish Charity Register or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. The name and address should match, and the register shows whether its reporting is up to date. Save the Children is registered in England and Wales (213890), Scotland (SC039570) and the Isle of Man (199).
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Is it better to give to a big or small charity?
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Both can make a real difference. Small charities often work closely with one community. Large charities can respond to emergencies at scale and reach children in many countries at once. The best choice is the one whose work you care about and whose finances you can see.
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Which children's charity should I donate to?
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Choose a registered charity that works on the issue you care about and is open about how it spends its money. If you want your gift to help children in the UK and around the world, wherever the need is greatest, Save the Children is one option. Find out more about what we do.
Making your decision to give
Donating to children's charities is an act of courageous optimism. It says you believe children deserve better - and that together, we can make that happen. Whether you're supporting children affected by conflict in Sudan, helping UK families afford school uniforms, or funding research to improve maternal health, you become an ally in a child's fight for a better future.
The scale of child poverty can feel overwhelming. But proven solutions exist: social protection programmes, quality education, accessible healthcare, and clean water systems all demonstrably improve children's lives when properly funded and implemented. Your donation helps scale these solutions.
Every child matters. Every donation helps. When you give to a children's charity, you're not just changing one child's circumstances - you're investing in communities that will nurture healthier, more educated, more hopeful generations to come.
Get involved with Save the Children's work today - because the future these children create will shape the world we all share.
This content was last reviewed and updated in November 2026.
