I was troubled to read about the experiences of the reader who said in a letter (9 November) that their mother, who was in the early stages of dementia, had direct debits to charities reactivated after they were cancelled by her family when she was unable to pay her bills.
The Fundraising Regulator exists to uphold high standards of practice in charity fundraising across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We have nearly 6,000 charities registered with us, which means they must agree to and meet the standards set out in the code of fundraising practice. This includes being sensitive to people who may be in vulnerable circumstances, such as having dementia.
We also publish guidance for charitable fundraising organisations, which includes information about how to engage appropriately with people they believe may be vulnerable. It is important that all fundraising charities train staff accordingly.
In cases like the one referred to, a family member or friend of a person in vulnerable circumstances can take action to help protect them by making a suppression through our Fundraising Preference Service (FPS). This enables people to stop direct marketing contact from any charity registered with the charity commissions in England and Wales or Northern Ireland that you no longer want to hear from. Since its launch in 2017, the FPS has helped 15,300 people make requests for charities to stop contacting them. You can find out more about the service on our website or by getting in touch with us.
Gerald Oppenheim
Chief executive, Fundraising Regulator
• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
