The Fundraising Standards Board has made a number of recommendations to “strengthen” the Institute of Fundraising's Code of Fundraising Practice.
In an interim report from an investigation into fundraising practice, published this afternoon, the FRSB calls for wide-ranging reform of the code, in order to give donors more control over the way that charities communicate with them.
The investigation was launched following pressure from the public, the press and Prime Minister David Cameron, in the wake of the apparent suicide of 92-year-old poppy seller Olive Cooke, who some newspapers claim was "hounded to death" by fundraisers.
The key recommendations include restrictions on how often charities can contact donors, clearer information about how to opt out of receiving more contacts, and says that asking for a donation three times in a phone call may constitute "pressure".
The report also suggests that charities are not properly complying with the Telephone Preference Service and Mail Preference Service rules.
There is also, in the wake of the death of Olive Cooke, an emphasis placed on an expansion of current guidance for fundraisers when communicating with “older supporters” and those who may be in “vulnerable circumstances”.
According to the FRSB’s data, it received a total of 384 complaints from members of the public in relation to fundraising between 15 May and 5 June, 2015.
Of those complaints, 42 per cent were concerned with the frequency of contact by charitable fundraisers while 35 per cent were concerned with fundraising approaches to the elderly. Complaints about charities using their donors contact details was also an issue in 16 per cent of complaints.
Alistair McLean, chief executive of the FRSB (pictured), said: “Over the past few weeks, we have heard from many people who recognise the vital work that charities do and the pressing need for donations to fund that work, but they also feel that charities are asking too often. The collective experience of being approached by many charities simultaneously compounds things further.
“The public wants greater clarity and more control over how their contact details are being used and the amount of times they will be asked to give. Although the Code already makes it clear that charities must respect donors’ preferences in terms of the way they are contacted, how their details are used and the amount of times they can be approached, we want to see charities making those options much more evident.”
“We are looking to the Institute of Fundraising’s Standards Committee to review how donors’ current concerns can be addressed by strengthening the Code of Fundraising Practice. Essentially, we want the public to be given more control over the way they are approached by charities and for further safeguards to be put in place when it comes to fundraising requests of the elderly and vulnerable.”
The FRSB will present the interim report to the Institute of Fundraising’s Standards Committee at its next meeting tomorrow.
