# Fundraising Preference Service used by 2,617 people in its first month

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/08/07/fundraising-preference-service-used-2617-people-first-month/
- Published: 2017-08-07T18:46:13+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The Fundraising Preference Service has been used by 2,617 people in its first 
month to cease some or all communications from the 6,305 charities they were in 
touch with.**

The service was launched one month ago today on the first anniversary of the Fundraising
Regulator taking on self-regulation of charity fundraising in England, Wales and
Northern Ireland.

Of these, the Service received **1,312** suppression requests from **614** people
on its first day.

## Advertisement

A ‘suppression’ is a request to cease communications from one charity. Members of
the public can choose to block phone, email, text or postal communications from 
up to three named charities on each contact with the [Fundraising Preference Service](https://public.fundraisingpreference.org.uk/).
The service is available online and by phone.

As well as using it for themselves, individuals can use the service on behalf of
a friend or relative.

The launch of the Fundraising Preference Service received national coverage in the
media, with some titles referring to it as a way to stop charities ‘pestering’ individuals:

 * [New opt-out service to stop charities cold calling launches – how to sign up](http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/phones/2017/07/new-opt-out-service-to-stop-charities-cold-calling-launches---how-to-sign-up)(
   MoneysavingExpert.com)
 * [One complaint every minute in first 24 hours of hotline to report charities that pester donors for cash](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/06/one-complaint-every-minute-first-24-hours-charity-pester-hotline/)(
   Daily Telegraph)
 * [Over 100 people an hour sign up to no-call list on its first day to stop charities pestering them](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4673360/More-100-people-hour-sign-no-call-list-day-one.html)(
   Daily Mail) 

 

Stephen Dunmore, CEO of the [Fundraising Regulator](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/),
described the uptake of the new service as “rapid”.

He said: “The launch of the FPS was an important moment for the Fundraising Regulator
and a significant step in re-building trust between the sector and the public. The
service allows the public to have greater control of which charities contact them
and by what means. Despite being only one month old, the rapid uptake by the general
public has shown that is a service individuals both need and want.

He added that the numbers confirmed that charities’ communications could still be
improved. He said: “Although the numbers indicate there is still some way to go 
in terms of charities’ communications with individuals, we are encouraged by the
progress that is being made by the charity sector in ensuring that fundraising is
ethical and transparent. We look forward to continuing to work closely with charities
and, as always, greatly appreciate their cooperation and positive response to the
introduction of FPS.”

## Thoughts on the numbers

On the assumption that some donors will ask to stop receiving communications from
the same charities, the total number of charities affected will be fewer than 6,305.
No number for this is currently available from the Service.

Nor is there a list of the charities which have been the subject of the greatest
number of suppression requests.

The total number of people who used the service will also include some fundraisers
and fundraising agencies, who were using it to conduct ‘mystery shopping’ tests 
so that they could see how the service operated in practice. It is likely too that
journalists and others with a professional interest in the new service might have
used it in this way too.

![Loading](https://fundraising.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/page-views-count/ajax-loader-
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## Comments

### By: Michael K

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/08/07/fundraising-preference-service-used-2617-people-first-month/#comment-3114
- Published: 2017-08-08T13:09:00+01:00

Fantastic service. Much easier than having to scrabble round websites looking for
relevant contact details. Some charities don’t make it easy.

### By: HowardLake

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/08/07/fundraising-preference-service-used-2617-people-first-month/#comment-3115
- Published: 2017-08-11T10:24:00+01:00

[https://twitter.com/fundrregulator/status/895601897515757569](https://twitter.com/fundrregulator/status/895601897515757569)