A church charity has been found in breach of the fundraising code after complaints about its marketing tactics were investigated.
The Fundraising Regulator has concluded an investigation into the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG), an international evangelical Christian denomination with churches in several countries worldwide.
UCKG was accused of sending direct marketing material to a member of the church after the member asked it to stop contacting them.
The complainant had initially submitted a complaint to UCKG directly, but contacted the regulator after being dissatisfied with the outcome of the charity’s own investigation.
Two breaches of the code identified
The Fundraising Regulator concluded that UCKG did not breach the fundraising code in relation to stopping sending direct marketing to a person within a reasonable period.
However, it did find two other breaches of the code in relation to having a clear and publicly available complaints procedure and meeting all legal requirements relating to data protection.
The charity told the regulator that it had an “unwritten complaints policy”, whereby any complaints are taken to senior management for assignment to whichever department is best placed to deal with and resolve the complaint.
This was found to breach the fundraising code’s rule that all charities must have a clear, publicly available complaints procedure.
Meanwhile, the charity’s response to the complainant’s request to stop contacting them was found to be “overcomplicated and confusing” by the regulator.
The regulator found upon further investigation that UCKG had retained the complainant’s telephone number as part of its gift aid records, even after the complainant had asked the charity to cease contact.
This resulted in the charity also breaching the code’s rule about charities deleting an individual’s personal data when asked to.
Charity to review its communication methods
The regulator recommended to UCKG that it review its communication methods with people who are asking the charity to stop contacting them and to explain to people how long it will take to process this request.
It additionally urged the charity to obtain further guidance and support from the Information Commissioner’s Office on the subject of data protection, and ensure its complaints policy is more accessible online.
UCKG has reportedly accepted the Fundraising Regulator’s findings and agreed to comply with recommendations.
The charity had previously been investigated by the Charity Commission over safeguarding concerns.
Civil Society has attempted to contact the charity for comment.
