Charity Risk Register Template
A structured Excel risk register for small and medium-sized UK charities. Built around Charity Commission CC26 (Charities and Risk Management) and aligned with the Charities SORP 2026 and the 2025 Governance Code. Identifies, assesses, and tracks the risks that matter most - without the complexity of corporate risk management systems that don't fit charity contexts.
The Charity Commission expects trustees to identify and manage the major risks their charity faces. The 2025 Governance Code makes a board-approved risk register part of the suggested evidence list. SORP 2026 goes further: charities with gross income above £500,000 must now describe their principal risks – including environmental and cyber – in the trustees’ annual report. But most small charities either don’t have a risk register or have one that hasn’t been updated in years. Trustees are carrying risks they haven’t formally acknowledged – which means they can’t manage them, and they can’t report on them either.
The problem it solves
Unidentified risks, inconsistent scoring, no clear ownership, and boards that discuss risk informally but don’t track it systematically. This template gives trustees a clear, manageable way to fulfil their risk management responsibilities – and to produce the disclosures SORP 2026 now requires – without overcomplicating the process.
What’s included
Template (Excel workbook)
- How to use sheet – quick orientation so trustees aren’t dropped straight into the data
- Risk register – 50 rows across 19 columns covering risk description, category, gross and net scoring, controls, ownership, response, review cycle, status and notes
- Board Summary – auto-pulled snapshot showing total open risks, counts by level, and the top 10 risks by net score, sorted highest first
- Board Cover – printable A4 cover page for trustee meetings, with at-a-glance counts and space for narrative on changes since the last report
- Score Guide – CC26-aligned 5×5 heat map with full definitions of likelihood (Remote to Highly Probable) and impact (Insignificant to Catastrophic)
- Settings – editable drop-down lists so categories, responses, and review frequencies can be tailored to your charity
- 13 pre-populated example risks across all major categories – governance, financial, operational, safeguarding, compliance, fundraising, reputation, programme, people, IT & cyber, premises, environmental
- Conditional formatting that colours risks red, amber, or green automatically as scores are entered
Guidance notes (PDF)
- What the regulator actually expects – CC26, the Governance Code, and SORP 2026 explained
- How to identify the risks specific to your charity (not someone else’s generic list)
- How to score risks, with a worked example showing gross score, controls, and net score
- Ownership, response options, and how to set sensible review cycles
- How to report risk to your board so trustees stay engaged
- Common mistakes and how to avoid them
- Plain-English explanation of the SORP 2026 principal-risks disclosure and what trustees need to include in the annual report
Who it’s for
Small and medium-sized UK charities – CIOs, charitable companies, trusts, and unincorporated associations. Particularly useful for charities at or approaching the £500,000 income threshold, where the SORP 2026 principal-risks disclosure starts to bite, but the scoring framework and structure work for charities of any size. The template is generic across legal forms; the guidance notes flag where the rules differ.
FAQ
Will it fit our charity’s structure?
Yes. It’s built to work for CIOs, charitable companies, trusts, and unincorporated associations. The categories cover the standard CC26 risk areas and can be edited to suit your charity.
Can we edit it to match our branding?
Yes. Standard Excel workbook. Add your charity name to the title bar, change colours and fonts, edit the drop-down lists, and add or remove categories as needed.
Does it cover the SORP 2026 requirements?
Yes. SORP 2026 expects charities above £500,000 income to describe their principal risks – including environmental and cyber – in the trustees’ annual report. The template includes both categories, and the guidance notes explain how to use the register to produce that disclosure.
Is it Charity Commission compliant?
It’s structured around CC26 (the Charity Commission’s risk management guidance), the Charities SORP 2026, and the Charity Governance Code 2025. It’s a practical template, not legal advice.
Do we need any special software?
Microsoft Excel is recommended. The file also opens in Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, and LibreOffice, though some formatting may differ slightly.
How often should we update it?
CC26 expects annual review by trustees as a minimum, with interim updates when something changes. The guidance notes give a clearer schedule – high net risks reviewed monthly or quarterly, medium quarterly, and low annually.
Instant download. Excel format with PDF guidance notes.
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