OPERATIONAL RESEARCH SOCIETY LIMITED

Registered charity 313713 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE OR SOCIETY

Charitable aims are the advancement of knowledge, education and interest in OR, through its publications, conferences, training, accreditation scheme, awards, regional societies, and special interest groups. Its 'Science of Better' campaign is specifically designed to promote wider knowledge of OR and how it can be used in the public and private sectors alike.

Causes: Education/training · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£1.4m

Latest spending

£1.7m

Registered

1968

Accounts read

FY2024

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure of £278,762 for the year, resulting in a decrease in total net assets to £2,032,162. The trustees confirm that the charity's free reserves of £1,936,666 remain within their stated policy target of between one and three years' running costs (£900,000 to £2.7 million).

Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Publications (61% of income)

“In 2024, publications revenue once again equated to more than 60% of the Society’s total income.”

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: The Society paid rent to Edward Street Management Limited, a company where the Executive Director was a director.

“In 2024, Seb Hargreaves as part of his Society role as the Executive Director, was also a Director of Edward Street Management Limited, the company that managed the Society's buildings car park. During 2023 the Society paid rent to the company of £3,030.” — page 49

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Sayer Vincent LLP. Discloses 3 of 6 completeness components.

Leadership, per the charity’s website

Dr Colette Fletcher — Executive Director (source)

Listed on the charity’s own website when we last crawled it; roles may have changed. Pay-band disclosures above are anonymous statutory disclosures and are not attributed to any named individual.

Property (HM Land Registry)

1 registered title in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (0 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2024)

Total income

£1.4m

Total spending

£1.7m

Cost of raising funds

£21k

Reserves (reported)

£292k

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~2.0 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (96% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 1.6% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Received assets from another charity (11/12/2023) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

Dr Christina Phillips
Dr Duncan Robertson
Dr Mosab Bazargani
Dr STEPHEN LORRIMER
Katherine Kent
Professor Christina Pagel
Professor Jacco Thijssen
Professor Miguel Anjos
Professor Sanja Petrovic
Professor Thomas Archibald
Robert Scott

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2024	£1.4m	£1.7m
31/12/2023	£1.4m	£1.6m
31/12/2022	£1.5m	£1.5m
31/12/2021	£1.4m	£1.3m
31/12/2020	£1.2m	£1.2m

Common questions

Is OPERATIONAL RESEARCH SOCIETY LIMITED financially healthy?

Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure of £278,762 for the year, resulting in a decrease in total net assets to £2,032,162. The trustees confirm that the charity's free reserves of £1,936,666 remain within their stated policy target of between one and three years' running costs (£900,000 to £2.7 million). Its FY2024 accounts were audited by Sayer Vincent LLP.

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
ISSA FOUNDATION	1	£415k
CHAPMAN CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£3k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with BRITISH SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE.

BRITISH SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE income £712k
THE SOCIAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION income £690k
OXFORD CENTRE FOR EDUCATION AND RESEARCH IN PALLIATIVE CARE: SOBELL HOUSE income £474k
THE SOCIETY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES LIMITED income £612k
ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY income £2.3m
CAMBRIDGE PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY income £988k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
OPERATIONAL RESEARCH SOCIETY LIMITED	£1.4m	—	—	within	—	no doubt
BRITISH SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE FY2024	£712k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE SOCIAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION FY2025	£690k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
OXFORD CENTRE FOR EDUCATION AND RESEARCH IN PALLIATIVE CARE: SOBELL HOUSE FY2026	£474k	£60,000 - £70,000	1	unclear	—	no doubt
THE SOCIETY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES LIMITED FY2024	£612k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY FY2024	£2.3m	unclear	—	unclear	—	no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.