Action
Planning is
pleased to be one of the first consultancies
to join the Fundraising Standards Board. The
following news release was issued by the Board
on 12th February and you can read the current
membership list by clicking
here.
A
new self-regulatory body for fundraising launches
today as research reveals the UK public have
little idea where to go if they have a complaint
about a charity’s fundraising.
A world first, the Fundraising Standards Board,
will handle public complaints about how its
members raise money as well as offering the
public a ‘mark of reassurance’ to
look for when giving to charities in the future.
Findings from Which?/YouGov plc and GfK NOP research
show that the majority of
people would not know where to go if they had
a complaint about a charity’s
fundraising. The GfK NOP poll commissioned last
month by the Fundraising
Standards Board found that nearly nine out of
ten (86 per cent) people polled had
given to charity last year, but only a fifth
(22 per cent) said they knew who to contact to
lodge a complaint with, demonstrating the need
for an independent body such as this.
Nearly 250 charities have already joined the
scheme, membership of which is
voluntary, and in doing so have agreed to adhere
to a strict set of codes and a
Fundraising Promise committing them to treat
the public with respect, fairness,
honesty and clarity in all their money raising
activities. They must also sign up to an independent,
robust and transparent complaints process. Membership
will be visible to the public through the addition
of the Fundraising Standards Board’s logo
(a tick) on their fundraising materials.
Jon Scourse, Chief Executive of the Fundraising
Standards Board said of its launch: “This
is an historic moment. For the first time there
is an independent body you can go to if you are
unhappy about how a charity raises money. We’re
here to help you give with confidence, so the
next time you put money in a tin, sponsor someone
to run a marathon or receive a mailshot in the
post, look for the tick – it’s your
mark of reassurance.“
The research also found
that the top two reasons that would push
people to consider making an official complaint
were:
1) If a charity continued to contact them after
they had asked them not to
2) If a charity had exaggerated, not told the
truth to them or if they had been misled
by the charity
Both of these complaints the Fundraising
Standards Board can now handle.
The new body represents an important commitment
by charities to ensure that the public can
continue to give with confidence to a sector
that last year raised £8.9 billion
for its good work.
Alan Gosschalk, Director of Fundraising at
Shelter, one of the first members to join
said: “The charity sector is taking
the initiative and embracing self-regulation.
Shelter has joined the Fundraising Standards
Board because we take our responsibilities
to the public very seriously. By using the
Fundraising Standards Board tick on our materials
we are demonstrating our commitment to best
fundraising practice and giving the public
the reassurance provided by a robust, independent
complaints system.”
The Fundraising Standards Board will deal
with public complaints relating to how its
member’s
raise money, where a satisfactory response
has not been achieved first with the charity.
This, it is hoped, will be welcome news for
a public whose support for charities remains
high.
The existence of the Fundraising Standards
Board also has the potential to have a
positive effect on giving. The Which? research
found that almost six in ten
consumers (58 per cent) would be more likely
to donate to a charity if they knew it
was a member of the Fundraising Standards
Board’s scheme with one in five (18
per cent) saying they would be much more
likely to donate.
Jane Tomlinson, British campaigner for cancer
and children’s charities and founder
of Jane’s Appeal added: “I have
been on both sides – supporting a charity
as a
member of the public and now running my own
appeal. Anything that encourages
high standards in fundraising has got to
be a good thing for both sides, but it’s
the people and the causes for whom the charities
strive that stand to win most. We’re
going to sign up and hope many more charities
will too.”
Members of the public can contact the Fundraising
Standards Board via the website www.fsboard.org.uk or
by calling 0845 402 5442.
To see the members of the FSB click here
Please
click here to read the Transcript of presentation
by Colin Lloyd, Chairman of the Fundraising
Standards Board, to Action Planning ‘Funding the Future’ conference
at Central Hall Westminster on 23rd November
2006
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