Fundraisers and charities need to stand together to promote and reform payroll giving, delegates at a payroll giving conference were told yesterday.

Unity and reform were the themes of the Institute of Fundraising’s Payroll Giving conference, held at the Home Office yesterday, following the dropping of Institute chair and British Red Cross director of fundraising Mark Astarita for his own controversial comments about whether payroll giving can bring in significant income for charities.

In her plenary speech, Tanya Steele, director of fundraising at Save the Children and an Institute trustee, said that while government support and commitment for payroll giving is good, “we also need the same level of commitment from our own members”.

But, without referring to Astarita specifically, she and others backed the sentiment of his comments.  “The Institute has recognised for some that it hasn’t reached its potential,” she said. The Institute will be reviewing the recommendations of its 2008 report into payroll giving and  lobbying for reforms, she said.

Barnardo's Stephen Noble, the chair of the Institute’s special interest group on payroll giving, issued a direct call to action to larger charities in particular.

“I understand that for many major charities payroll giving income may well be a drop in the ocean and it doesn’t form a major part of your strategy… but make no mistake: we still need your support,” he said.

“Please stand alongside us at the very least.”

Both Steele and Noble emphasised that the time to act on payroll giving reform is now, given the government interest in promoting it, and Noble warned the sector against being complacent that some future government will be interested in reviewing it.

“The fact that we’ve got government interest in itself is not enough,” said Noble. “We must take responsibility ourselves. There are fertile conditions for payroll giving to grow.”

Economic secretary to the Treasury Justine Greening reiterated the government’s commitment to trying to make payroll giving become the norm, but agreed reforms are needed. “Payroll giving is a huge opportunity that almost needs to be dusted off and looked at again fresh,” she said.

Greening had some words of praise for the Institute of Fundraising itself, saying that the “support it provides is absolutely critical”.