MPs back calls for tighter fundraising rules says research
Melanie May | 23 December 2015 | News
Negative media coverage of fundraising practices means that the majority of MPs across all parties (63%) now support tighter regulations, according to the nfpSynergy Charity Parliamentary Monitor.
The research surveyed 150 MPs in October, and found that 63% of MPs across all parties think stricter rules are needed. Half (49%) also think that it is a necessary move even if it results in charities raising less money, while 62% also agree that Parliament should be doing more to scrutinise charities and their activities.
The research also indicates that MPs’ broader perceptions of charities have been affected by last summer’s negative media coverage. 43% of MPs overall say they find it harder to trust charities as a result of recent media stories, with 26% of MPs less likely to support charity campaigns in Parliament.
Only 24% of those surveyed felt charities had defended and explained their fundraising practices well, while 23% said they had received a substantial number of complaints about fundraising practices from their constituents.
Public opinion seems to mirror that of MPs according to further October research by nfpSynergy: the Charity Awareness Monitor, which regularly surveys a representative sample of 1,000 adults aged 16+. According to this report, 71% of the general public also think that tighter regulation is needed even if it means that charities raise less money, while 68% of those surveyed thought that charities and their activities should come under closer scrutiny from Parliament. 30% thought charities have done a good job of defending and explaining their fundraising practices in light of negative media coverage.
Tim Harrison, nfpSynergy director of tracking research said:
“It’s worrying to see that recent media coverage of fundraising scandals has had such a negative impact on how MPs see charities. Public trust in charities has fallen this year, and it’s now clear that MPs from all parties are keen to respond to this by backing a crackdown on invasive fundraising practices.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.