What must a charity's email footer say? In England and Wales, section 39 of the Charities Act 2011 requires a registered charity with a gross income over 10,000 pounds in its last financial year to state that it is registered on documents that ask for money or property, and on its invoices, receipts and similar documents. A charity that is also a company has the Companies Act disclosures on top. This guide covers both, and how to make sure every email carries them.
Section 39 of the Charities Act 2011 applies to a registered charity whose gross income in its last financial year was more than 10,000 pounds. Such a charity must state, in legible characters, that it is a registered charity in:
The statement is made in English, though a charity in Wales may use the Welsh "elusen cofrestredig" where the whole document is in Welsh.
The section talks about documents rather than email, but a fundraising email is plainly a document soliciting money, and an emailed invoice or receipt is still an invoice or receipt. The safe course, and the simple one, is to put the statement on every external email, rather than trying to decide message by message which emails ask for support. A line such as this is enough:
Example Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales (number 1234567).
Many charities are also companies limited by guarantee. They have the company law disclosures as well: registered name, registered number, registered office address and the part of the UK where they are registered. Our guide to UK email footer legal requirements sets those out. A combined footer might read:
Example Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales (number 1234567) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (number 01234567). Registered office: 1 High Street, Anytown AB1 2CD.
This post covers England and Wales. Charities registered in Scotland or Northern Ireland have their own regulators and rules, and should check those.
Charities have a particular coverage problem: a large share of their email is sent by people who are not employees in the usual sense.
Each of those can send an appeal or a receipt without the statement.
The reliable approach is to add the footer centrally, as mail leaves your Microsoft 365, so nobody has to remember it. With Footer365:
Because the footer is added on the server, it also reaches mail sent from phones and from any mail app that sends through your Microsoft 365 mailboxes.
Check your last financial year's income against the threshold, agree the wording with your trustees, and test a fundraising email from a phone and from a shared mailbox. This is a summary rather than legal advice; the Charity Commission's guidance and your own adviser are the authorities on your charity's position.
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