Charities are to face tougher rules on fundraising in a move designed to retain public trust in the sector.
In response to the death of poppy seller Olive Cooke, self-regulatory body the Institute of Fundraising announced on Thursday that it is to tighten up its guidance to the sector, stipulating that charities must comply with rules on the frequency of contact with potential donors.
The announcement was prompted by the Fundraising Standards Board’s interim report, which investigated allegations that poppy seller Olive Cooke was overwhelmed by fundraising requests before she died. The FRSB called on the IoF earlier this week to limit the number of fundraising requests a charity can contact an individual with and make it compulsory for all fundraisers to comply with the IoF’s code of practice.
Peter Lewis, chief executive of the Institute of Fundraising, said: “It is critical that charities retain their trust and confidence. I believe the combination of raising the standards of fundraising, alongside our commitment to introduce a new compliance regime, will further strengthen charities’ relationships with their supporters and ensure the very highest levels of accountability and transparency.”
The IoF has said that all fundraising organisations across the UK must comply with its code of practice, introduce a standardised way for the public to opt out of fundraising communications and strengthen compliance with the Telephone Preference Service.
The committee will change all “ought-to” requirements in its code of fundraising practice to “must”. For example, the code currently states that fundraising organisations “ought to be able to justify” the frequency of contact with individuals and “ought to respect the donor’s requests around around the frequency of contact”. Under the new rules following such guidance will be compulsory.
Ian MacQuillan, director of fundraising think tank Rogare, told the Guardian Voluntary Sector Network: “The Institute of Fundraising has committed to make changes to the code, in response to issues of public concern raised by the FRSB, extraordinarily quickly, even before the FRSB has delivered its full report stating what its recommended changes are.
“I think we need a much more considered response than this, one that balances the concerns of the public – and undoubtedly there are many – with fundraisers’ duty to raise money on behalf of their beneficiaries.”
The committee says it will also introduce a standard wording and presentation, which all charities will be expected to follow, of how individual donors can opt out of fundraising communications. The IoF told the Guardian it will be working with charities to agree a standardised statement.
It is currently illegal for organisations – including charities – to make unsolicited sales or marketing calls to numbers registered with the Telephone Preference Service, unless they have the individual’s consent to do so. However, the IoF believe that compliance needs to be strengthened. The committee will be speaking with the Information Commissioner’s Office to gain insight in best practice in this area.
“Fundraising undoubtedly needs to reform, but the reform it needs cannot be brought about by regulation alone, and some of these proposals smack of a knee-jerk response to placate public, political and media opinion,” said MacQuillan.
The committee has also set up four task groups to look at specific points raised by the FRSB’s report, including the frequency and volume of approaches to individual donors and how individuals can manage their preferences on fundraising communications more easily. The groups will report back to the IoF’s standards committee within the next six weeks.
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