New code on charities’ accountability and transparency
Howard Lake | 3 October 2005 | News
The Institute of Fundraising is to develop a new Code of Fundraising Practice that will outline best practice ./guidance on accountability and transparency in fundraising and related communications within voluntary sector organisations.
The Code is a key part of the Institute’s contribution to the ImpACT Coalition, the new sector-wide campaign to increase trust and confidence in charities.
The Institute says that the Code will be relevant to all fundraising organisations and is asking for charity fundraisers, lawyers and communication professionals to volunteer to join the working party to develop the Code.
The new Code will cover:
- How to communicate information about the purpose and benefits of fundraising to donors, funders, beneficiaries and the general public.
- How to comply with relevant finance and reporting initiatives and regulations to enhance donor and public understanding
- How to be transparent in fundraising and reporting materials about the investment organisations make in fundraising
The details of the proposed Code can be viewed at the Institute’s website. Application forms to join or Chair the Working Party must be submitted to the Institute by 21 October 2005.
As Chair of the ImpACT (Improving Accountability, Clarity and Transparency) Coalition Coalition, Alan Gosschalk, Fundraising Director of Shelter, explained the need for the Code: “For a long time, fundraisers and communication professionals have been talking about the need to be clearer to donors, volunteers, the media and general public, about how charities work and how they are raising and spending their money. We need to work together to give supporters the facts about how charities work, to explain the different methods of fundraising and why charities need to invest in increasing their fundraising capacity.
“These new guidelines are a critical step forward in giving fundraisers real, practical support in ensuring that their organisation is as transparent as possible.”
www.impactcoalition.org.uk
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.