Fundraising Regulator to consult on changes to Code of Fundraising Practice
Melanie May | 3 February 2017 | News
The Fundraising Regulator has announced its first consultation on the Code of Fundraising Practice, which launches today and runs until the end of April.
The consultation will enable charities, fundraisers and the general public to feedback on suggested changes to the Code, which rather than a complete overhaul, will focus on issues such as people in vulnerable circumstances, fundraising communications, the delivery of charity collection bags and how charities oversee their third-party contracts.
The Fundraising Regulator has said that the consultation will not include the Fundraising Preference Service, with guidance for this to be announced closer to its launch.
It will also not cover data and consent. The Fundraising Regulator will consult on this issue separately once the ICO’s guidance on GDPR is released to ensure the full implications for the sector are taken into account.
Suzanne McCarthy, chair of the Fundraising Regulator’s Standards Committee is leading the review.
She said:
“The Code is crucial to ensuring that fundraising is carried out to the high standards expected by the public. Given its importance, it is essential that the Code develops to meet new challenges and does so in a fair and consultative manner. This process will enable us to understand and, where appropriate, address the sector’s concerns.”
The Institute of Fundraising has welcomed the consultation announcement, and will be seeking feedback from its members and issuing a response to the consultation.
CEO Peter Lewis said:
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“We welcome today’s wide-ranging and open consultation. It is essential that the expertise of fundraisers and the insight of donors informs any changes to the Code and we will be working with the Regulator and our members to ensure this is the case.
“We want as many of our members to be involved as possible, so we’ll be responding formally to the consultation through our Standards Advisory Board and will publish a draft response with the opportunity for members to feedback, ahead of our final submission.”
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.