What is a public benefit assessment in the context of charities?

• A. An assessment by the Charity Commission of whether a charity provides public benefit.
• B. A financial audit of charitable funds.
• C. A review of fundraising efficiency only.
• D. A measurement of private benefits to trustees.

Answer: (C)

Public benefit is the requirement that a charity’s aims and activities provide a benefit to the public (or a segment of the public) rather than primarily to private interests. A public benefit assessment is the regulator’s check that the charity’s purposes and actions actually deliver that public benefit. In practice, the Charity Commission (or relevant regulator) reviews whether the charity’s aims, activities, and the benefits they generate meet this public benefit standard, both at registration and in ongoing compliance.

So, describing it as an assessment by the Charity Commission of whether a charity provides public benefit is the correct framing. The other options miss the focus on public benefit: financial audits look at money, not public benefit; fundraising efficiency is about fundraising performance; measuring private benefits to trustees would violate the public benefit requirement.