Two new requirements added to Code of Fundraising Practice
Howard Lake | 11 December 2015 | News
The Institute of Fundraising has added two further requirements to the Code of Fundraising Practice following its review over the past few months.
The two changes are:
1. Minimum font sizes
There are now minimum font sizes that must apply to all permission statements on all printed communications, including newspaper adverts and direct mail.
Second 5.2 of the Code, covering Fundraising Communications and Techniques, now reads:
o) All permission statements (opt-in or opt-out wording to gain consent for marketing purposes) displayed in fundraising materials MUST be at least the same font size as the larger of (i) any text asking for the recipient’s personal details, or (ii) any text specifying the donation amount. If there is no text asking for personal details or specifying donation amount, any permission statements MUST be in the minimum font size of 10.
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2. Clear opt-out explanation on every address fundraising communication
Every addressed fundraising communication will be required to carry a clear message explaining how donors can easily ‘opt-out’ of receiving future communications
Section 6.6 of the Code, regarding Direct Marketing, now reads:
a) Organisations MUST include on all fundraising communications sent to a named individual, clearly displayed details of how the recipient can, by a single step, opt-out of receiving such communications from the charity on whose behalf the communication was sent. This MUST be at least the same font size as the larger of (i) any text asking for the recipient’s personal details, or (ii) any text specifying the donation amount. If there is no text asking for personal details or specifying donation amount, this information MUST be in the minimum font size of 10.
The two new standards are part of a number of changes that were announced in September, many of which were implemented within the Code in November.
Although both changes come into immediate effect, the Fundraising Standards Board has agreed to a six month transition period before it will require organisations to have changed all their printed material to comply. Thus these changes will need to have been implemented by 10 June 2016.
The Institute has published a list of frequently asked questions on these new changes.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.