The Governance RegisterEdition 2026 · Compiled 30th August 2026

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Registered charity 209603 Registered since 1963

Operates: Throughout England And Wales, Bangladesh, Ireland, Tanzania, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Guernsey, Isle Of Man, Jersey

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Board DNA

How this board is put together, from Charity Commission trustee records and Companies House - deterministic, no AI.iBoard compositionCounted from the dated Charity Commission trustee register: the current board only, past trustees excluded.

13 trustees on the board

3.5y median 4y
average tenure
8y
longest tenure

Trustees past 6 years

7.5y
average years in governance

First-time vs portfolio trustees

First-time (9)

Portfolio (4)

3
company-linked trustees

Sector coverage iSector coverageThe charitable fields this board's trustees govern in elsewhere, by Charity Commission classification. Excludes this charity.

Education/training 13General Charitable Purposes 13The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives 12Religious Activities 1

Commercial experience iCommercial experienceThe industries this board's members are company directors in, by Companies House SIC code. Excludes this organisation's own company.

Professional services 8Manufacturing 4Arts and leisure 3

Succession forecast iSuccession forecastThe number of board seats likely to open in the next twelve months - summed across the board from each dated trustee’s tenure - and the profile worth recruiting next. From the filed record, deterministic.

🔒 Succession forecast is a Pro feature - the board seats likely to open in the next year and the ideal next trustee. Explore Pro →

Health of the organisation facts side by side - the conclusion is yours

Income v spending, filed accountsiIncome v spendingTotal gross income and expenditure from filed annual returns, Charity Commission, last 5 years.
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
incomespending£251.3m latest income · income exceeded spending in 2023 and 2024
ReservesiReserves12 x free reserves / annual expenditure, from the Part B annual return. The sector median is computed across all Part B filers in the same income band.

7.3 months of spending held in free reserves · median for charities its size: 3.5 months · was 5.7 in 2020

1859 from 2059 in 2020
EmployeesiEmployeesHeadcount as filed in Part B annual returns, per financial year. Shown exactly as filed; year-on-year figures may be filed on different bases, so a comparison is only shown when the filings are plausibly comparable.
2%
Income from governmentiIncome from governmentGovernment contracts plus government grants as a share of total gross income, latest Part A annual return.

Related organisations iRelated organisationsTwo groups, both deterministic from public records. Related organisations share two or more trustees with this board - a real structural link, such as a subsidiary or sister charity. Connected through a shared trustee share exactly one person - a genuine connection, but not the same group. A board with no shared trustee at all may still appear here when it is active in the same charitable field.

Related organisations

Connected through a shared trustee

Also active in the same field

Deterministic, from public records.

Contact

Websitewww.rnli.org
Emailcompany_secretary@rnli.org.uk
Phone0300 300 9990
AddressRNLI, West Quay Road, Poole, BH15 1HZ

Finances

£251,300,000 latest income

YearIncomeSpending
2020£199,171,000£172,549,000
2021£219,912,000£199,803,000
2022£231,800,000£233,000,000
2023£249,600,000£242,600,000
2024£251,300,000£250,700,000

What it does

What

General Charitable PurposesEducation/trainingThe Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of LivesArts/culture/heritage/science

Who

The General Public/mankind

How

Makes Grants To IndividualsMakes Grants To OrganisationsProvides Human ResourcesProvides Buildings/facilities/open SpaceProvides ServicesProvides Advocacy/advice/informationSponsors Or Undertakes Research

Charitable objects

3. THE OBJECT OF THE INSTITUTION ("THE OBJECT") SHALL BE TO SAVE LIVES AT SEA AND ON INLAND AND FLOOD WATERS. IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE OBJECT, THE POWERS OF THE INSTITUTION SHALL WITHOUT LIMITATION INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:3.1 TO PROMOTE SAFETY AND PROVIDE RELIEF FROM DISASTER AT SEA AND ON INLAND AND FLOOD WATERS;3.2 TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN MATTERS RELATING TO SAFETY AT SEA AND ON INLAND AND FLOOD WATERS AND IN THE HISTORY AND HERITAGE OF THE INSTITUTION;3.3 TO PROMOTE THE EFFICIENCY OF RESCUE SERVICES AT SEA AND ON INLAND AND FLOOD WATERS; AND3.4 TO RELIEVE AND ASSIST THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN SAVING LIVES AT SEA AND ON INLAND AND FLOOD WATERS IN ANY CAPACITY AND WHO ARE IN NEED OF SUCH RELIEF OR ASSISTANCE BY REASON OF POVERTY, DISABILITY, INFIRMITY OR OTHERWISE, AND THE DEPENDENTS.

Governing document: ROYAL CHARTER GRANTED 24/04/1860AS AMENDED BY SUPPLEMENTAL CHARTER DATED 02/05/1932AS AMENDED BY SUPPLEMENTAL CHARTER DATED 24/04/1986AS AMENDED ON 11/02/1998AS AMENDED ON 16/07/2002AS AMENDED ON 01/11/2011

Trustees (13)

13trustees
66median age
0aged 70+

Linked company (Companies House)

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution · RC000503 · Active

Royal Charter Company · incorporated 01/01/1981

Connected charities (3)

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