A fundraising agency risks losing a string of charity clients today after losing an employment tribunal in which a former employee said she was asked to have an abortion and sacked when she refused.
Teri Cumlin, a former employee of Engage Fundraising successfully sued the agency yesterday for unfair dismissal and sex and pregnancy discrimination.
This morning, children’s charity Plan International said it was “reviewing its relationship” with the agency in light of the case.
A spokesman for the charity told Civil Society News it had plans to work with the agency “sometime in the next financial year between July and June” but that this was “currently under review in light of this case”.
“We are not currently running a campaign with Engage,” the spokesman said. “However, we have contacted them and understand they are appealing the tribunal verdict.
"Plan expects the very highest ethical standards of our fundraisers and all our fundraising activity is regulated by the Fundraising Standards Board and the Institute of Fundraising.”
A spokesman for the National Deaf Children’s Society, which Cumlin said she fundraised for, confirmed today that the charity will not work with Engage in the future.
“We expect all our fundraising partners to work to the highest ethical standards,” the spokesman told Civil Society News. “Our fundraising work with Engage ended in November and we have no existing plans for any further activity with the company.”
World Vision UK also confirmed that it is no longer working with the agency and is trying to get its details removed from the website.
“We have stopped working with them and have been trying to get our details removed from the website,” a spokeswoman told Civil Society News.
But she confirmed that the working relationship ended three months ago and was unrelated to yesterday’s tribunal ruling.
The tribunal heard that 22-year-old Cumlin was urged by manager Mark Robertson to terminate her pregnancy and was subjected to a catalogue of abuse and harassment when she refused.
It was claimed that Robertson asked if she “wished to be the kind of person who had different children by different fathers,” according to the Herald Scotland. The agency also refused to pay for her antenatal appointments, it said.
Glasgow-based Cumlin, was dismissed last December and raised the employment tribunal early this year. Her child Thomas is now four months old.
She was awarded £12,000 by employment judge Robert Gall who said the dismissal was “an act of discrimination” as a result of her pregnancy.
Engage Fundraising was approached by Civil Society News for comment but did not respond by the time of publication.
