For donors looking to support grassroots causes in South Africa, finding organisations that combine impact with transparency is often easier said than done. With the help of newly-launched Helpmore Trust Index that task just got easier.
Helpmore, a charity founded by Ranmore Fund Management and registered in the United Kingdom and South Africa, has announced the launch of the Helpmore Trust Index, an online database of small charities operating in South Africa. The initiative is designed to provide information on grassroots organisations and support donor decision-making.
South Africa has a large and fragmented non-profit sector, with nearly 290,000 registered organisations, although only a fraction meet full compliance and reporting standards, making it challenging for donors to identify trustworthy charities. In 2025, over 200,000 non-profit organisations (NPOs), voluntary associations, and trusts across South Africa faced the risk of deregistration for failing to submit annual reports required. Tracking these developments in legal statuses might be hard for benefactors. The Helpmore Trust Index is intended to address this by listing charities that meet its stated criteria.
The organisation says the index has been developed to introduce smaller charities that are active in their communities and to provide visibility into their work.
Sean Peche, founder of Helpmore and CEO of Ranmore Fund Management, said:
“Small charities, like small businesses, create jobs and generate economic growth. We can’t all create jobs by starting small businesses, but we can all create jobs by donating to well run charities, helping them to expand.”
Jamie Nye, Helpmore CEO, added:
“We want to introduce the public to the many wonderful, well run charities having a positive impact on the lives of others in South Africa. Only transparent charities that make it through our due diligence process will be included on our Helpmore Trust Index. It’s a dynamic process whereby our team is continually expanding and updating the index and if any charity subsequently breaks our trust, they will be instantly removed.”
Helpmore is also inviting members of the public to recommend grassroots organisations for potential inclusion in the index, particularly those with demonstrated charity impact at the community level.
