Finance Score: -3
Governance Score: 4
Support Score: 6
  • Spending declining: -1
  • Volatile income & significant deficit in latest year: -5
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • Narrow trustee age band: -2
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Overall weighted support: +6
Overall GiG Score: 7 ?

USER VOICE

To advance education for the public benefit in criminal justice and the rehabilitation of offenders by conducting study and research and disseminating the useful results of that research to the public.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • Fundraising costs are unusually low relative to funds raised
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers including the Government
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • The Board has little diversity in terms of age

Financial issues to consider:

  • Spending is declining
  • Income has been volatile recently and was significantly lower than spending in the latest year

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit £k
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/03/23£633£930£-298£7£764£6908.917108
31/03/22£1,688£1,235£453£8£1,062£9569.334626
31/03/21£1,202£1,215£-13£17£609£4994.935720
31/03/20£1,401£1,395£6£35£622£470436700
31/03/19£1,678£1,526£152£24£616£5404.339850
31/03/18*£1,516£1,453£63£23£464£4343.6500
31/03/17£1,509£1,649£-140£8£401£3982.9430
31/03/16£1,586£1,431£155£9£541£5044.2390
31/03/15£1,273£1,148£124£23£398£3703.9290
31/03/14£949£974£-25£22£274£1251.5250
31/03/13£817£846£-30£22£299£2423.4280
31/03/12£419£575£-156n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/11£558£304£254£50£485£44117.460

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 1.1%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 0.7%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 24%
Liabilities/Income: 38%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 90%
Reserves/Spending: 8.9 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 10 months
Quick Ratio: 3
Asset Split ?
Balance Sheet History
Established: 15 years

www.uservoice.org

info@uservoice.org

02031377471

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Education/Training
  • Other Charitable Purposes
GiG Classification
  • Scientific research and testing services
How it operates
  • Other charitable activities
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Throughout England And Wales,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
  • Other Defined Groups
  • The General Public/Mankind

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
Joseph Rowntree Foundation£37,087
Nesta£10,000
National Lottery Community Fund£9,900
The Clothworkers Foundation£8,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
National Lottery Community Fund - National Lived Experience Council
£9,900 26/05/2023
The funding will be used to provide a coordinator and training for an organisation which works with policy makers to ensure the criminal justice system works for everyone. The project aims to improve the wellbeing of people in prison and on ....more
Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Grant to User Voice
£37,087 28/11/2020
12
National Lived Experience Council
The Clothworkers Foundation - Grant to User Voice
£8,000 03/04/2020
purchase of IT equipment for a charity who works with ex-offenders nationally
Nesta - AC01039
£10,000 11/03/2020
7
2020 Democracy Pioneers programme grant to User Voice Grant Ref AC01039
National Lottery Community Fund - Priory Ponds Space for Change
£9,956 06/06/2019
12
The organisation will use the funding to run activities for ex-offenders to build supportive relationships and help improve community integration and job retention.
National Lottery Community Fund - National Service User Council
£34,720 29/03/2019
19
This project is to support User Voice to establish a national service user council, bringing together elected local leaders from 40 council across the country to work together to define best practice and influence policy. Participants will have ....more
John Ellerman Foundation - Core costs
£120,000 24/01/2019
36
Towards the costs of developing the "User Knowledge" initiative to identify emerging issues in the criminal justice system, campaign for systemic change and proactively develop recommendations for wider service improvements
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Amplifying the voice of young people in the justice system
£60,000 01/10/2018
24
User Voice aims to make the criminal justice system work for individuals, providers and society as a whole. This grant will support the organisation to relaunch a Youth Council model, giving young people in the criminal justice system the chance to ....more
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£25,000 17/09/2018
User Voice Knowledge - amplifying the voice of people with experience of the criminal justice system
Home Office - Knife Crime Community Fund 18-19
£29,992 03/09/2018
The fund was set up in 2017/18 to support community projects which reduce knife crime and have a positive impact on young people at risk of carrying a knife and committing crime. The fund was open to voluntary and community sector groups and the ....more
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to User Voice
£30,000 24/04/2018
£30,000 towards a Communications and Policy Manager and associated costs. User Voice aims to improve rehabilitation through User Voice Councils to enable collaboration between service users and service providers in prison or probation. Its work is ....more
Barrow Cadbury Trust - Communications, Policy and Public Affairs
£90,000 21/10/2017
36
To support UV's national policy, communications and advocacy work
Nesta - AC00361
£419,000 17/12/2013
Centre for Social Action Innovation Fund programme grant to User Voice Grant Ref AC00361
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to User Voice
£35,000 28/06/2013
The charity's aim is to support ex-offenders giving them a voice and helping them to advocate for those in the criminal justice system. The Toe to Toe Community project will focus on peer mentoring.
Northern Rock Foundation - Grant awarded to User Voice (North East & Cumbria)
£92,256 05/03/2013
Towards the costs of the Passport to Change project, working across the north east and Cumbria, providing peer support to offenders.
Northern Rock Foundation - Grant awarded to User Voice (Northumberland)
£4,140 24/08/2012
Towards an extension of grant 20110340.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to User Voice
£212,400 15/12/2011
Towards the salaries of two Senior Programme Managers to support regional development of User Voice's work in the North West and South West.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to User Voice
£50,000 15/09/2009
24
Towards Core costs Towards the salary and costs of the chief executive.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (6)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 45-62
  • DONNA ELAINE MURRAY-TURNER Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Learning & Development Consultant
  • DR ANDREAS ARESTI Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Academic/Senior Lecturer Criminology
  • JULIE PATRICIA WESTON Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Chief Operating Officer
  • MATTHEW WATT Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Partner In A Professional Services Firm
  • MICHAEL BARNETT (Chair) Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Accountant
  • MICHEAL LEGESSE Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Accountant
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 21/05/2010, number: 1136047
  • Registered at Companies House on 16/02/2009, number: 06820227
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Conflicting interests
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Investing charity funds policy and procedures
  • Investment
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
13 returns made; AR18: 37 days late,
Main office

20 NEWBURN STREET
LONDON
SE11 5PJ

Objectives

ADVANCE EDUCATION FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND. THEREHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS BY CONDUCTING STUDY AND RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATINGTHE USEFUL RESULTS OF THAT RESEARCH TO THE PUBLIC.('THE OBJECTS).

Defined Area of Benefit:

UNDEFINED. IN PRACTICE, NATIONAL

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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