The Fundraising Standards Board has returned unspent membership income to charities and will donate a surplus of around £20,000 to the Small Charities Coalition.
Cheques have been sent to the 1,800 members and the donation is expected to be finalised in in the next six to nine months.
Andrew Hind, chair of the FRSB, said: “The past decade has seen over 2,000 organisations come together to commit to best practice and accountability in fundraising, as members of the Fundraising Standards Board.
“We thank all those charities and commercial organisations for their commitment to the scheme, which has laid the foundations for the new regulatory framework, now led by the Fundraising Regulator.
“We hope that this new regulatory regime, together with recent improvements to fundraising standards, will help the sector to rebuild and strengthen public trust, supporting charity fundraising as it develops now and into the future.”
Responsibility for regulating fundraising has now been transferred to the Fundraising Regulator in England and Wales, and to an Independent Panel linked to the Scottish Charity Regulator in Scotland. A final decision for regulation in Northern Ireland is anticipated later this year.
Small Charities Coalition 'instrumental'
Alistair McLean, chief executive of FRSB, said: “The last 18 months has been a period of great change for the sector and a challenging time for all charities to adapt, particularly smaller organisations working to limited budgets.
"When deciding what to do with any residual funds remaining in the FRSB accounts, the board considered the instrumental role of the Small Charities Coalition in providing advice on fundraising and governance to thousands of small charities across the country. We hope that this donation will be a welcome boost to their funding of essential resources and skills for small charities.”
John Barrett, chief executive of the Small Charities Coalition, added: “We are delighted that the FRSB has recognised the importance of helping small charities fundraise and are hugely grateful for their support.
“Our members typically look to us to help them develop improved skills and adapt to best practice techniques for fundraising and governance. Any additional funding will help us ensure that even more charities can gain access to affordable training, resources and one-to-one support."
Information has gone to the new Fundraising Regulator
The FRSB has handed all of intellectual property, contact databases, membership details and all its historical records to the new regulator.
McLean told Civil Society News that: "We have worked very closely with the Fundraising Regulator and have given them everything they have asked for."
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