Peter Lewis, the chief executive of the IoF, has criticised proposals for changing fundraising self-regulation put forward last night by Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO, saying they would not “address public concerns”.
Responding to a speech by Etherington, made at NCVO’s Evolve conference last night, Lewis (pictured) said in a statement that the IoF has “responded quickly and strongly to the issues” raised following the apparent suicide of Olive Cooke, a 92-year-old woman who some media outlets said was "hounded to death" by fundraisers.
Etherington said that there was a lack of confidence in the fundraising self-regulatory regime following a public outcry, and that sweeping changes were needed.
Lewis said that he refuted the fact that “the structures are flawed as he seems to suggest, or that changing those structures would in itself address public concerns”.
“It was a surprise that Sir Stuart chose to focus on the structure of the self-regulation of fundraising for his keynote address last night," he said. "It is true that fundraising practice is under the spotlight, but we are already taking quick action to address public concerns.
“I do not share his belief that the structures are flawed as he seems to suggest, or that changing those structures would in itself address public concerns.”
Lewis also said that if Etherington actually “wants to improve the self-regulatory system”, he should “throw NCVO’s weight behind it; encourage NCVO’s members and charities of all shapes and sizes to contribute to the review, and through that strengthen both the Code and compliance with it.”
The IoF reported last week that it had responded to the results of the FRSB’s interim report by immediately implementing three of its recommendations and setting up “specific task-groups” to investigate the four other recommendations.
The IoF has also taking steps to recruit an "Independent Chair for its Standards Committee", and has also committed to "set up a new compliance regime". All of these points have been put in a letter and sent to the office of the minister for civil society, Rob Wilson.
In the statement’s conclusion, Lewis said: “The politicos will politic, the chatterati can chat, the media may opine, the Knights will joust, but here at the Institute we have been rapidly taking forward what will really make a difference to the public’s trust and confidence in fundraising – strengthening the Code and setting up a new compliance regime.”
