NCVO and the existing fundraising membership bodies have jointly announced that a working group to plan the implementation of the Fundraising Preference Service will be established, after a meeting was held earlier in the week.

In a statement released yesterday, representatives from NCVO, the Institute of Fundraising and the Fundraising Standards Board, confirmed that both Rob Wilson, the civil society minister and Sir Stuart Etherington (pictured), chief executive of NCVO, held a meeting with sector representatives on Monday.

At the meeting – which was also attended by representatives of the Charity Commission and other “key stakeholders in the sector” – a consensus was reached on the establishing of a working group to implement the proposed Fundraising Preference Service.

The statement also said that “all parties agreed to work with colleagues in Scotland and Northern Ireland to ensure that the system could operate on a UK-wide basis, should they choose to participate in the new self-regulatory system”.

The statement also said that the IoF and the Public Fundraising Association would merge into a single professional body “subject to their members’ agreement”.  The FRSB will also continue to provide self-regulation for the sector “until such time as the new self-regulator is established”.

While the statement mentions the mooted fundraising self-regulation summit, it does not provide an actual date.
“To take matters forward, this meeting will be followed up by a summit with the wider voluntary sector in the coming weeks. We will release more information shortly.”

In a short statement given to Civil Society News, Alistair McLean chief executive of the FRSB, said: “We are fully committed to working with colleagues within the regulatory framework, our members and the wider sector to support the creation of the best regulatory model for the future.

“The FRSB’s expertise and experiences gained over the past eight years in regulation will be instrumental in guiding that process."