The Fundraising Regulator has this week published a six-question guide to help donors avoid fraud, as part of the sector’s wider charity fraud awareness week.
The regulator said the guide was designed for existing or prospective donors. The guide takes the form of a series of six questions that donors can ask in order to “feel confident that their money is going to the right place”.
The questions given are:
- Is the charity you are fundraising for registered?
- What permissions do you have that allow you to collect in this area?
- Who do you work for/What proportion of my money goes to the charity?
- How can I be sure you are who you say you are?
- Do you support good fundraising practice?
- Can I think it over?
The guide also provides some answers to the questions. For example, regarding whether or not a charity is registered, the regulator’s guide suggests the donor “check against the charity register”, giving a website link.
It also suggest that, when approached by “collectors”, that donors should “check whether they are wearing an ID badge and that any collection tin is sealed”. It suggests caution if “the ID is photocopied or hand-written, or if tins show signs of damage”.
A spokesman for the Fundraising Regulator, said: "All sectors are at risk of criminal abuse from fraudsters and the charity sector is no exception. Therefore as part of Charity Fraud Awareness Week, and in line with our mission to restore public trust in fundraising, the Fundraising Regulator has developed six questions every fundraiser should be able to answer in order to improve confidence among donors that they are not being targeted fraudulently."
The guide can be downloaded for free here.
As covered earlier in the week, the Charity Commission has also marked charity fraud awareness week by launching a free resource to help charities avoid fraud.
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