New version of Code of Fundraising Practice revealed
Melanie May | 6 June 2019 | News
The Fundraising Regulator has today revealed the new version of the Code of Fundraising Practice, which will come into effect in October 2019.
According to the Fundraising Regulator, the changes are designed to make it easier for fundraisers, charities and third-party organisations to understand the standards expected of them when fundraising. It is also designed to be easier for the public to navigate.
The changes include:
- Consolidation of the former code, rulebooks and legal appendices with all standards now in the one code
- Restructuring of the standards into three parts to help users more easily identify which standards apply depending on the type of fundraising they do
- Clarification of where there are differences in law in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland
- Clearer language, following an independent review by the Plain English campaign, which gave the code a Crystal Mark standard
New Code of Fundraising Practice layout flowchart
Fundraisers have between now and the October 2019 effective date to familiarise themselves with the new code. Complaints will continue to be considered against the version of the code in effect at the time of the incident. The new code will then be used as the basis for making decisions about any incidents that take place from October onwards.
These changes follow a consultation in autumn 2018, which focused on the style, presentation, clarity and accessibility of the current code. The full consultation report can be found here.
The Fundraising Regulator’s website is also currently being developed to make the code easier to navigate online. The site will be re-launched when the new code comes into force.
Suzanne McCarthy, Chair of the Fundraising Regulator’s Standards Committee, said:
“The Code of Fundraising Practice is key to charitable institutions and fundraisers as they develop their fundraising strategies, training, policies and activities.
“We have listened to the sector and have developed a code that can be used confidently and with ease to help charities in meeting their responsibilities to the public.”Advertisement
The new Code can be accessed on the Fundraising Regulator’s site.
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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.