Regulator tells AI advisers and suppliers to reflect its guidance too
Howard Lake | 10 September 2026 | News
The Fundraising Regulator has told organisations that advise, train or sell AI tools and services into the charity sector that they too are expected to reflect its regulatory guidance on artificial intelligence, not only the fundraisers who use it.
In a blog post published on 7 September, the regulator’s director of policy, Paul Winyard, said it had received positive feedback on the AI guidance it published for charities last year. This sets out what fundraising organisations should do to comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice at every stage of the AI lifecycle, from exploring and preparing to implement AI through to using it in day-to-day fundraising.
Acknowledging the wider ecosystem of advice
Winyard noted that of course a “range of charitable, academic and commercial organisations or expert consultants” now provide advice, research, marketing and support to charities on using artificial intelligence in fundraising. However, AI advisers and experts are not themselves regulated by the Fundraising Regulator, even though their advice can shape how charities go on to use it.
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That, he said, creates a risk: advice or information about AI that does not reference the regulator’s guidance may be incomplete, or even incompatible with the Code. The regulator is “strongly encouraging” any organisation that promotes, advises or informs the sector on AI in fundraising to acknowledge, and where appropriate integrate, its guidance into their own resources.
The blog post reiterates that fundraising charities should have a direct understanding of the guidance and should take it into account at every stage, whether they are exploring AI, preparing to implement it or already using it.
What this means for suppliers and consultants
While many professional advisers will already be taking this approach, the regulator’s announcement now makes it clear. AI platform vendors, agencies and independent consultants advising charities on AI are now expected to build the Regulator’s position into what they say and sell, not treat it as a footnote for the charity to check separately.
The regulator has not set out a formal compliance mechanism for third parties, and its own role, it stresses, is not to explain what AI is, how it works, or to promote particular tools. Its guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in fundraising, and the wider suite of guidance and support materials on the Code, are available on its website, and it is inviting sign-ups to its newsletter for updates on future guidance and support materials.
- Using AI in fundraising requires ethical & data upskilling, Rogare report cautions (8 February 2024)
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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.