The Charity Commission has published a revised draft of its fundraising guidance for consultation with the final version to be published in the Spring. As would be expected following the recommendation of the review carried out by Sir Stuart Etherington, the revised guidance places a more detailed emphasis on trustees' legal duties in relation to fundraising. Accordingly the guidance has been renamed: 'Charity fundraising: a guide to trustee duties'.   

The guidance sets out six key principles for trustees when considering fundraising activities:

  • planning effectively
  • supervising your fundraisers
  • protecting your charity's reputation, money and other assets
  • finding out about, and fully complying with, any specific laws or regulations that apply to your charity's fundraising
  • finding out about, and following, any recognised standards that apply to your charity's fundraising
  • being open and accountable

Chris Priestley is chairing a working group of the Charity Law Association which will respond to the Charity Commission's consultation. In particular, the working group will consider whether the draft guidance is legally correct, comprehensive (as well as comprehensible) and may suggest improvements to ensure it is fit for purpose.

The deadline for responses to the consultation is 11 February 2016. 

The draft guidance and the consultation are available here. 

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