Fundraising Regulator signs MOUs with IoF & HEFCE
Melanie May | 2 November 2016 | News
The Fundraising Regulator has signed Memorandums of Understanding with the Institute of Fundraising, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
The new agreement with the Institute of Fundraising establishes a five-year commitment to collaboration in support of high fundraising standards, and sets out how the two organisations will work together on areas of mutual interest such as compliance, policy, research and communication.
More details on the MOU with the IoF
Among the terms of the agreement, the MOU states that the Regulator shall consult the IoF in good time on any proposed changes to the Code of Fundraising Practice before engaging in any wider consultation and include the IoF if any wider consultation occurs, giving five business days’ notice of any proposed changes to the Code or rulebooks. It also states that the IoF will be the Regulator’s exclusive partner to produce official non-legal guidance for fundraisers on the Code, with the IoF granting a non-exclusive licence to the Regulator to use this guidance.
Also under the MOU, a member of the IoF will attend each meeting of the Standards Committee to provide historical knowledge and context for developments to the Code of Fundraising Practice and the Face-to-Face rulebooks prior to their transfer to the Regulator in July, to provide current knowledge to help ensure the Code and rulebooks continue to reflect and be informed by contemporary fundraising practices, and to be an official point of contact for the IoF membership in stakeholder consultations on Code and rulebook changes.
Stephen Dunmore, chief executive of the Fundraising Regulator, said:
“A central part of the Fundraising Regulator’s remit is to ensure that fundraisers understand and meet their responsibilities to the public. The IoF and its membership are key stakeholders in supporting that aim. We are therefore delighted to announce this new Memorandum of Understanding, which builds on the close working relationship we have developed since our launch in July to ensure the fundraising community continues to play an active role in the future of regulation.”
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MOU with HEFCE
The MOU with HEFCE aims to further improve collaboration and communication between the Fundraising Regulator and HEFCE in its role as principal regulator for higher education institutions that are exempt charities.
The agreement confirms a protocol for acting on inappropriate fundraising by a higher education institution, with the Fundraising Regulator using HEFCE’s public interest disclosure process to raise any governance concerns that are identified from its work on fundraising complaints.
The parties will now notify each other as soon as they have concerns about an institution’s fundraising practices, with both agreeing a course of action and sharing the results of any investigation with each other. The use of existing processes enables effective regulation while minimising the additional regulatory burden on higher education institutions.
The Memorandum sees both bodies agreeing to work together on developing, interpreting and applying policy. In effect, this means that each party will inform the other on relevant policy development from the earliest stage, while there will be annual meetings to cover other aspects of policy and any other issues. The Fundraising Regulator and HEFCE will also increase communication through consulting each other on relevant reports or public statements.
Madeleine Atkins, chief executive, HEFCE, said:
“The Memorandum sets out our organisations’ respective roles and responsibilities, and our commitment to work together to develop policy and practice, and to respond swiftly and effectively to concerns. We will do this through our existing processes to minimise administrative burden on institutions. In this way, operating as an intelligent regulator, our overarching aim is to work with the higher education community and other stakeholders to promote high standards in university fundraising.”
The agreements with HEFCE and IoF are the third and fourth with an external regulatory body. Previous agreements have been signed with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, and the Information Commissioner’s Office.
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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.