Intelligent Giving

OUT-OF-THE-BOX THINKERS

A young charity that, in the four year since its activities began, has helped some 500,000 people in 40+ countries by delivering special boxes containing equipment sufficient to sustain 10 people for six months. In 2006 5,000 boxes found their way to needy people. The report is thin: we'd particularly like to see more financial commentary and information about future plans.

Read the charity's reply

QUALITY OF REPORTING What is this?	67%
How much info does the charity want to share? This score, taken from our search for 43 key points in the annual report, gives the answer. Top mark is 100%. Anything over 70% is a good effort.
SIZE OF CHARITY... What is this?	Medium
We only profile the largest charities in England & Wales, and our sizes are relative to the largest and smallest among them. So where we describe a charity as 'Small', it is still much larger than the national average.
HIGHEST SALARY What is this?	Under £60k
Taken from the vague bandings given in annual reports; note that 'Under £60k' could be £9k or £59k. Nonetheless the number of bars should roughly correlate with the 'Size of charity' bars.
RESERVES WOULD LAST... What is this?	13 months
If income dried up, how long could work continue? 3-12 months is normal. Less may be precarious. 12+ months may be over-cautious (or if very high, may represent the value of the charity's property).
ETHICAL INVESTMENT POLICY What is this?	Unknown
We asked the charity if it has an ethical investment policy. If yes, it gets an angel. Those with no policy but which don't invest in tobacco/arms get a halo. Those without investments, or who didn't respond, appear neutral. Those with stakes in arms/tobacco get a fallen angel.

But don't take our word for it...

• The charity's website
• GuideStar summary
• Charity Commission link to annual report

ShelterBox provides shelter, warmth and comfort for people displaced by disasters.
Each ‘ShelterBox’ generally holds a 10-person tent and other material to help an extended family survive for six months minimum (precise contents vary according to need).
Boxes cost £490 – including all materials, packing, storage and distribution worldwide. Every ShelterBox is individually numbered and donors can track where they are sent.
Since 2001, ShelterBox has helped nearly 500,000 people – working in more than 30 countries.