No ‘reset button’ but FPS to allow opt-out from specific charities
Melanie May | 2 December 2016 | News
The Fundraising Preference Service will not be a single ‘reset button’ but will enable individuals to opt out of receiving communications from specific charities, the Fundraising Regulator has announced.
The Regulator published its plans for the FPS yesterday (1st December) with the service set to launch in spring/early summer next year. Under the FPS, charities will also be required to increase their compliance ‘by seeking affirmative consent for contact on a regular basis from donors and supporters’, while an opt-out from an individual will cover all forms of communication.
The Regulator has published this summary of the planned FPS:
- The opt-out from specified charities will apply to all charities and all forms of communication with a named individual (email, text, telephone and addressed mail).
- The FPS will be IT-based but with a telephone service to support those who are vulnerable or without IT.
- The Regulator will notify specified charities of suppression (those people opting out) and monitor compliance, through a largely automated system.
- There will be signposting to the Telephone and Mail Preference Services.
- Accompanying guidance will explain how the public can best manage their contacts with charities.
- Opt-out will have the statutory force of a Data Protection Act Section 11 notice to cease direct marketing.
The FPS represents ‘the final part in the puzzle’ of the new regulatory regime, according to Sir Stuart Etherington, Chair of the Cross-Party Review, who said that, combined with the other regulatory changes, the FPS will show clearly that the industry has done everything possible to reassure the public that their concerns are taken seriously.
Sir Stuart said:
“To protect the future of fundraising, it’s crucial we address the concerns of people who feel they or their relatives receive an unmanageable number of requests. The proposed FPS represents an easily achievable way to do this.
“The FPS will also help charities clean their lists and better target their communications, ahead of the implementation of new data rules in the coming years. It is becoming ever more important that charities follow the highest standards in communicating with their donors, including by ensuring they have valid consent for how they are using personal details.”Advertisement
The full board decision is available to download from the Fundraising Regulator.
The Fundraising Regulator also announced that it is already in discussion with potential suppliers about the procurement of the database and telephone service through a tendering process.
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.