A face-to-face fundraising agency has hosted its own seminar on the regulation and reputation of face-to-face, a month after the Institute of Fundraising held its charity-only summit on the same subject.

Home Fundraising last week hosted a ‘Summer Seminar’ on the subject of regulation of fundraising, independent of the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association and the Institute. It comes after the Institute created its own summit, excluding both the PFRA and agencies, to discuss the same issues of public perception, best practice and regulation in face-to-face fundraising.

Home says that a “mix of charities, PFRA, Home staff and independent observers”, but not including other agencies, attended its seminar last week. This group, Home says, came to the conclusion that the ‘right to ask’ must be defended, media brought on side and a greater buy-in from within the sector itself.

Dominic Will, joint managing director of Home, told civilsociety.co.uk: “Our event was not a response to the Institute’s summit, but as the largest employer of fundraisers in the UK it is appropriate to be at the forefront of the debate around Lord Hodgson’s recommendations. Moving forward, it is absolutely necessary that agencies, charities, regulators and all key stakeholders are involved in putting together an informed and coordinated response from the sector.

“A greater understanding and sense of accountability at this level for all face-to-face channels needs to be created,” he said. “Only by doing this will robust and proportionate self-regulation be achieved.”

Will said that his organisation was in favour of regulation, but not in excess. “If we over-regulate and compromise our ability to ask the public for donations we might as well resort to a system of taxation. Nobody wants this,” he said.

“Media distortion and lack of understanding from stakeholders both within and outside the sector will lead to restrictive policies and over-regulation.”