Everything Sightsavers does is geared towards a world where avoidable blindness has been eliminated, and people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else.
How Sightsavers is run
Our chief executive is fond of saying that Sightsavers’ ultimate goal is for us all to be out of a job.
That means we want to achieve our aims so spectacularly that the organisation is no longer needed.
We can only get there thanks to the continued generosity of our loyal supporters. In return, we aim to be as transparent and accountable as possible so you can be sure your money is being used wisely.
To help us achieve our aims, we have published thematic strategies covering the areas in which we work. Read our strategy documents
Our charity numbers
We are registered with the Charity Commission, and our charity numbers are:
207544 in England and Wales
SC038110 in Scotland
We’re committed to keeping people safe
Our approach to safeguardingHow we spend your money
For every £1 we receive, including donated supplies, 91% goes on our vital charity work.
The remainder helps us grow awareness and our funding.
Our financial reportsEvery gift you give is vital in achieving Sightsavers’ goal of eliminating avoidable blindness and promoting equality for people with disabilities.
Your donations have enabled us, during our history, to distribute 644 million treatments to protect against river blindness, provide 8.7 million sight-restoring cataract operations, and support more than 313,000 people with disabilities to live independently.
We do our best to spend wisely, and that means finding the best solutions, which aren’t always the cheapest. We ensure we have good financial management, we make sure the changes we secure are long term, and we don’t cut corners.
We make sure our funds go as far as possible: we’re required to show we’ve met quality standards for all operational spending. Each year we publish a full annual report and financial statement, which provides more detailed information about where your money goes.
We think it’s money well spent, and we hope you do too.
We promise to put our beneficiaries first
Our fundraising promiseGlobal management
Sightsavers is governed by boards in nine countries.
Each of the boards is responsible for maintaining a high standard of corporate governance, overseeing everything we do and making sure the organisation stays on track, spends money wisely and achieves its goals.
Find out more about our global board and those in the US, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden and Zambia.
We also have a global management team that consists of 15 people drawn from across the organisation, including regional directors and senior staff.
This management team oversees many of Sightsavers’ day-to-day operational matters, to make sure we’re working as efficiently as possible.
Members of the management and strategy teams
We’re committed to inclusion in the workplace
Sightsavers and inclusionAccountability and transparency
To achieve our goals, we depend on our supporters and donors, who provide us with funding, and our partners, with whom we design and implement our programmes.
Through building strong relationships with these stakeholders, we are able to change people’s lives in the countries in which we work. We believe we need to be accountable to our stakeholders if we are to maintain their trust and support: to achieve this, we openly share information about our performance, our organisation and our policies.
Sightsavers has been a member of Accountable Now (formerly the INGO Accountability Charter) since 2011.
We continue to support the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact Communication on Engagement, covering human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Read our statement
How we set salaries
In 2022, the gross annual salary of our CEO was £167,196. She has no bonus scheme or car allowance, and has the same pension rights as all UK staff.
About our CEO
In the UK, the ratio of our highest-paid staff member to the lowest is 7:1. We aim to ensure our staff packages are competitive with other similar organisations.
About male and female salaries
We have a remuneration committee featuring several of Sightsavers’ trustees. Our chief executive’s salary, and the salaries of all staff who report to her, are approved by this committee.
Want to know more about how we’re run?
Contact us