Charity Campaigning and Political Activity Rules

A charity campaigning and political activity policy sets out how your charity speaks out on issues that affect its work, and where the legal lines sit. It gives trustees, staff and volunteers a clear framework for influencing public opinion, policy and the law in support of the charity's purposes.

The Charity Commission expects trustees to govern campaigning carefully because it touches on a strict legal rule. A charity may campaign to further its charitable purposes, but it must never support a political party and it cannot make political donations.

This matters most around elections and referendums, when the temptation to take sides is greatest and public scrutiny is highest. A written policy helps everyone stay on message and within the rules at exactly the moments when mistakes are costly.

The headline point is simple. Campaigning to change a law or policy in line with your charitable aims is allowed and can be a legitimate, even central, part of your work. Backing a candidate or party, or handing over charity money to one, is not.

The relevant guidance is the Charity Commission's campaigning and political activity guidance (CC9), which trustees should read alongside this policy.

Why Campaigning Needs Its Own Policy

Campaigning is one of the few areas where a charity can do something entirely lawful and something prohibited using almost identical activities. The difference often lies in tone, framing and who benefits, not in the topic itself.

Holding and following clear policies is part of good governance and the Charity Governance Code, the sector standard that sits alongside, rather than replaces, charity law. A campaigning policy shows that trustees understand the rules and have put controls in place to stay within them.

It also protects the charity's reputation. Perceived political bias can alienate supporters, beneficiaries and funders, and can damage the trust that charities rely on to do their work.

The Rules in Detail

1. Campaigning must further the charity's purposes

Any campaigning or political activity must support the charity's charitable purposes, not pursue a separate political agenda. Trustees should be able to explain how a given campaign helps deliver the charity's aims for its beneficiaries.

The policy should require this link to be set out before a campaign begins. Activity that drifts away from the charity's purposes should be paused and reconsidered by trustees.

2. No support for a political party, ever

The charity must never give its support to a political party, a candidate or an elected official as a way of endorsing them. It also cannot make political donations.

This applies to money, resources, platforms and public statements. The policy should make clear that staff and volunteers cannot use the charity's name, channels or funds to back any party or candidate.

3. Engaging with politicians and parties

Charities can work with politicians of any party and can ask candidates to support the charity's cause. The boundary is that the charity supports the issue, and asks others to support it too, rather than supporting the people or parties themselves.

The policy should explain how the charity engages with all relevant parties even-handedly. Where a charity comments on the policies of different parties, it should do so on the basis of how those policies affect its beneficiaries.

4. Heightened care during elections and referendums

Election and referendum periods call for extra caution because everything the charity says is read through a party-political lens. The policy should set out tighter controls for these periods, including who must approve any public statement.

Campaigning can continue during an election, but the charity must take care that its activity cannot be seen as supporting or opposing a party or candidate. Keeping the focus firmly on the issues, and on all parties equally, is the safest approach.

5. Sign-off, conflicts and record keeping

The policy should name who can approve campaigning activity and public statements, and require that decisions are recorded. Clear authorisation prevents well-meaning but risky statements being made in the charity's name.

Where a trustee has a personal political role or affiliation, this can create a conflict of interest. Trustees should declare and manage such conflicts in line with the charity's trustee conflicts of interest policy, stepping back from relevant decisions where needed.

Quick Reference: Allowed and Not Allowed

Area	Allowed	Not allowed
Purpose	Campaigning that furthers the charity's charitable purposes	Campaigning for a separate political agenda
Parties	Asking all parties and candidates to support your cause	Supporting or opposing a political party or candidate
Money	Spending charity funds on lawful campaigning that furthers your aims	Making political donations
Elections	Continuing issue-based campaigning with extra care and sign-off	Activity that looks like backing or attacking a party
Statements	Authorised, evidence-based comment on policies affecting beneficiaries	Unauthorised or partisan statements in the charity's name

What Trustees Must Do

• Adopt a written campaigning and political activity policy and review it regularly.
• Ensure all campaigning furthers the charity's charitable purposes.
• Prohibit any support for a political party or candidate, and any political donations.
• Set clear sign-off for public statements, with tighter controls during elections and referendums.
• Treat all political parties even-handedly when engaging on issues.
• Manage trustee conflicts of interest arising from personal political roles.
• Record decisions about campaigning activity and how the rules were considered.

Common Mistakes

• Letting a campaign drift away from the charity's purposes into general political comment.
• Allowing staff or volunteers to back a party or candidate using the charity's name or channels.
• Relaxing rather than tightening controls during an election period.
• Commenting on only one party's policies, creating the impression of bias.
• Failing to declare a trustee's political affiliation as a potential conflict of interest.
• Making no record of who approved a public statement or why.

How Policy Pros Can Help

We write bespoke charity policies that reflect how your organisation actually campaigns, so trustees, staff and volunteers know where the lines are. Our charity policies and procedures service produces a campaigning and political activity policy tailored to your purposes, with clear sign-off and election controls built in.

Campaigning rarely sits on its own. We can align it with your trustee conflicts of interest policy and your charity social media policy, since much campaigning now happens online, as well as your external speakers policy for events where political topics may arise.

For the wider picture, see our guide to charity policies and the annual return, which maps the policies the Charity Commission expects trustees to hold. You can also browse the Commission's full list of CC guidance publications for the underlying rules.