Purpose - Implementation of Lean methodologies in the Charity sector is still an underdeveloped topic with little literature. The purpose of this research is to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and benefits of implementing Lean in this sector, by responding to the areas of interest and difficulties experienced by a focus group and an exploratory survey of professionals in the area. Design/Methodology/Approach - A literature review was carried out of 35 articles from 3 databases - Web of Science, Scopus, and Emerald Insight, from 2000 to 2024. Also investigated were other Continuous Improvement (CI) methodologies together with Lean to amplify results. A questionnaire was applied, as a result of the challenges experienced by two focus group sessions, to 12 charitable organisations. Findings - The evidence presented suggests that the implementation of Lean, Lean Six Sigma or other CI methodologies, enhance the operational and strategic results of charitable organisations. The main benefits include clarification of staff responsibilities, improvement of overall efficiency, elimination of non-valuable processes and reduced time. Organisations show the benefits of implementation, mainly in terms of time and cost savings. The main challenges consist of lack of senior management interest, time, investment, knowledge and embedding of Lean principles in the culture. Research limitations/Implications - The questionnaire was completed by a limited number of organisations. Originality/Value - This research brings valuable insights to the Higher Education sector as it contributes to filling the gap in this little-explored topic, as well as providing new areas of research that can be applied and considered within the field of education. Also, it makes important contributions to professionals in the field, as charities will benefit by focusing their Lean efforts more effectively, thus enabling effective changes in organisations.