More information-sharing and collaboration may be on the cards among the international face-to-face community following a brainstorming meeting in the Netherlands yesterday.

Charities using face-to-face around the world reported increasing concern about potential media and public backlash against the mechanism, and reacted warmly to a suggestion by the UK's PFRA during a session at the International Fundraising Congress that charities and agencies might come together to share information about media management, regulation and best practice. 

Individuals from Australia, Sweden and the Netherlands expressed interest in some form of collaboration, but while suggestions for a subscriber-limited website where face-to-face practitioners could share and talk freely appeared to gain widespread interest, discussions were only at the sounding-out stage, with details likely to be explored in the future. 

The idea of some level of international organisation, however, did not gain any traction. One attendee said that such a proposal “is going too far right now”.

Mick Aldridge, chief executive of the PFRA, did however make a pitch for expanding the organisation's annual attrition survey into other countries, but added that participating agencies or charities would have to pay a sum of around €250 - €300 to get involved.