PFRA to advise charities on fundraising in Cold Calling Control Zones
Howard Lake | 10 February 2010 | News
The Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (PFRA), the self-regulatory body for direct debit public fundraising, is to advise its members on how to conform with new requirements on fundraising in Cold Calling Control Zones (CCCZs).
No Cold Calling Control Zones were set up by local authorities, businesses, parish councils and residents to help combat doorstep crime. However, it remains legal to cold call, even in these areas. Local authorities often remind residents that utilities staff, market researchers, religious groups and charity collectors my still legitimately knock on doors without an appointment.
The Institute of Fundraising’s revised code of practice on face-to-face (F2F) fundraising now states that fundraisers should avoid CCCZs that are properly set up according to ./guidance from the Trading Standards Institute.
However, it advises that charities may still fundraise in CCCZs that are improperly set up, provided that they have conducted a reputational risk assessment. It adds that charities should have a policy on fundraising in CCCZs that has been approved by their trustees.
PFRA will now begin work on three initiatives that will assist its members when they encounter a Cold Calling Control Zone:
1. Off-the-shelf policy on fundraising in CCCZs that members will be able to adopt lock, stock and barrel, or adapt to their specific needs.
2. Pro forma risk assessment template, guiding PFRA members through the factors they will need to consider when conducting the risk assessment required by the code of practice
3. Mapping existing CCCZs and indicating whether they are set up according to TSI ./guidance or not.
PFRA chief executive Mick Aldridge said: “Cold Calling Control Zones are something that have been on our radar for a long time and we have already done a lot of work on them. One of the reasons we joined the Trading Standards Institute as an affiliate member was so we would have a direct line to the TSI on CCCZs, and both understand and influence their thinking.
“With the publication of the revised code of practice, which contains new rules on fundraising inside CCCZs, we have an added incentive to help charities refine their policies on fundraising within these zones.
“The key thing is that Cold Calling Controls are not legally enforceable, and our job over the coming months will be to flesh out the code and give clear ./guidance to our members on what they can and can’t do with regard to CCCZs.”
www.pfra.org.uk
Photo: markhillary on flickr.com
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.