It has been a tough few months for fundraising and telephone fundraisers in particular bore the brunt of media and public scrutiny. Hugh Radojev examines the fallout of a tumultuous summer and what it means for the future of the industry.

This summer wasn’t supposed to be like this, was it? With the benefit of hindsight, one could say that the storm clouds had been gathering for some time around telephone fundraising. Perhaps the industry had grown complacent about its practices; perhaps it had failed to find its place in an evolving charity landscape. For whatever reason, as the dark thunderheads began to roll in and the storm truly broke in earnest, few in the sector seemed prepared for what was coming.