Trustees’ annual report

The Trustees’ Annual Report turns your numbers into a story a reader can follow: what your charity set out to do, what it actually achieved, how it spent its money and how it is governed. It sits at the front of your accounts and is often the first thing a funder reads.

Every registered charity must prepare a Trustees’ Annual Report with its accounts; the required content follows the Charities SORP and scales with the charity’s size. (Source: GOV.UK, Charity reporting and accounting: the essentials; Charities SORP, accessed 9 July 2026.) The SORP 2026 refreshes the report, adding sections on reserves, future plans, impact and ESG.

Treat it as your annual case to donors and funders, not a box-ticking chore. Show outcomes, be honest about challenges, and explain your reserves position. See worked, income-banded examples in the Trustees’ Annual Report example page and the full guidance in the UK Charity Compliance Handbook.