Andrew Hind appointed as new Chair of the Fundraising Standards Board
Howard Lake | 22 July 2015 | News
The Fundraising Standards Board has appointed Professor Andrew Hind CB as Chair of the Board. The charity governance and regulation expert will take up his role at the FRSB Board meeting on 16th September 2015.
Hind was the first Chief Executive of the Charity Commission (2004-2010), and has worked as Editor of Charity Finance magazine since 2011. He has worked in senior management at Barnardo’s and ActionAid, and spent nine years as Chief Operating Officer at BBC World Service.
He replaces Colin Lloyd who helped establish the FRSB nine years ago and who retires from the FRSB on 16 September. During his Chairmanship, the FRSB has recruited nearly 1,900 organisations who are committed to best practice and accountability in fundraising.
Lloyd described his task of setting up the independent self-regulatory body as a privilege, and thanked his colleagues on the board for their “invaluable support”, and the team at FRSB under the leadership of CEO Alistair McLean.
He welcome Hind’s appointment, saying:
“The sector is now at a cross roads where fundamental change must occur in order to ensure that any sub-standard fundraising is isolated and removed, so that it cannot tarnish the public’s trust and confidence in the amazing work of UK charities and the importance of public donations in funding that work. I could not wish for a more able successor to pass on the reins than Andrew Hind and I wish him every success in his future role at the FRSB.”
Role of the Chair
Hind has been appointed for a three-year fixed term. As Chair he will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and to ensure efficient and effective governance. In particular he has to ensure that the FRSB continues to meet its core objective of providing a strong self-regulatory framework for charity fundraising, growing public trust and confidence.
His appointment comes as the fundraising profession and the role of self-regulation has again come under scrutiny from the government and some media outlets.
Hind acknowledged this challenge. He said:
Advertisement
“The events of recent weeks show that the unacceptable fundraising practices of some charities, and the agencies who work for them, have got out of balance with the need to respect the right of the public to say no. That balance now has to be quickly re-established.
“It is right that the arrangements for fundraising self-regulation are to be thoroughly reviewed. I believe that roles and responsibilities need to be clearer, funding needs to be adequate to do the job properly, and tougher sanctions need to be applied to those who damage public trust in fundraising”.
At the same time, he praised the role and achievements of fundraisers, or rather “good fundraisers”.
He said:
“Good fundraisers not only raise the income which is the lifeblood of UK civil society, they also help donors to enjoy the experience of supporting a charity and to understand the issues behind the causes concerned”.
Hind will resign as editor of Charity Finance magazine, although he will remain non-executive director of and strategic adviser to its publishing group, Civil Society Media Limited. He will also stand down as a non-executive member of the Management Board at the Information Commissioner’s Office.
He will continue in his other part-time roles as Visiting Professor of Charity Governance and Finance at Cass Business School, non-executive board member of the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, and unpaid trustee of the Baring Foundation (a charitable grantmaker which does not receive any funding from the public).
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.