Fundraising bodies “still need to do more” to convince the government and the public that self-regulation works, minister for civil society Rob Wilson told Civil Society News yesterday.

Wilson also said he would help the Fundraising Standards Board to obtain more powers to force charities to comply with regulation, if the FRSB felt that was necessary, and questioned whether it was correct to have three bodies involved in regulating fundraising.

Speaking following his first keynote speech of the new Parliament, Wilson said the reaction of the self-regulating bodies was a “bit too slow” following the negative media coverage of fundraising charities which began with the death of Olive Cooke.

He said that they are now “beginning to show signs that they are making the right moves”, but “they have still got further to go, they still need to do more”.

Wilson said that he is encouraged by some of the most recent steps that the self-regulators have taken, for example the Institute of Fundraising putting members of the public onto its board, but “it’s not enough really”.

Wilson also said he agreed with comments made recently by  Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, who said at the organisation’s Evolve conference that "self-regulation is not necessarily working in its current form".

Wilson said that Etherington had done the right thing and spoken up in a “sensible and intelligent way”, and had said “what needed to be said from within the sector itself”.

Wilson said that “if the public were satisfied that self-regulation works, no-one would be asking for the government to get involved”.

He said that the self-regulators have to “prove that they understand and get what is happening, and they get why the public is so concerned”. He went on to say that if they can do so, and “offer the right reassurances”, then “there is no reason why self-regulation can’t work”.

However, he added that they do “need to take some time to think about why there are three organisations and whether that is the right structure”.

The minister said he would be willing to discuss with the Fundraising Standards Board if they think they need more powers, and about what powers and structures they may need to make self-regulation work.

He added that in his discussions with the IoF and the FRSB, it is clear they understand the government’s position when it comes to fundraising regulation, and “for a period of time they need to put confidence building measures in place to show that self-regulation can be successful”.