How We Accredit Charities
Verified. Transparent. Donor-Ready.
CESRA helps donors and partners identify credible, accountable charities across Africa. Our accreditation process checks governance, transparency, and real-world impact — so support goes to organizations that can be trusted.
Why Accreditation Matters
It protects donors from deceptive entities and helps credible charities stand out with verified governance, financial transparency, and proven impact.
What We Verify
Registration details, board governance, physical presence, operating contacts, bank account naming, online legitimacy, and willingness to disclose financials.
What You Receive
A comprehensive public profile that improves credibility, visibility, and readiness to partner with corporate donors and funding programs.
Accreditation Process
Explore the steps, the standards, and what must appear on an accredited charity profile.
Step-by-step: How the process works
- Application: Submit your charity details through the accreditation form.
- Document review: We check registration, governance records, and operational documents.
- Verification checks: We validate contacts, bank details, online presence, and location (where applicable).
- Assessment against standards: Your organization is evaluated against CESRA’s accountability standards.
- Approval & listing: Approved charities are issued an accredited profile and listed publicly.
- Ongoing accountability: Updates may be requested to keep your profile accurate and donor-ready.
Our accountability standards (10–15 checks)
These checks are designed to confirm that a charity operates ethically, manages resources responsibly, and can demonstrate real, community-level impact.
What an accredited charity profile includes
- Registered name and registration number
- Registration body (NGO, trust, society, etc.)
- Vision & mission
- Activities overview (programs and coverage)
- Physical location (verifiable on map)
- Board members (minimum 5)
- Online presence (website/social)
- Transparency (willingness to disclose key documents/financials)
- Working contact information (email & phone)
- Bank account name match to registered charity name
How verification protects donors
We look for credibility signals
Consistency in registration data, governance structure, and active operations.
We confirm real-world traceability
Physical presence, reachable contacts, and accountable financial naming reduce fraud risk.