The Fundraising Regulator has recently published its 2023/24 Annual Complaints Report. The report summarises trends in complaints made both to the Fundraising Regulator and directly to fundraising charities.
Key aspects of the Report
Key areas of complaint relate to:
- fundraising by community interest companies ('CICs');
- misleading information; and
- door-to-door fundraising.
For the third year in a row, misleading fundraising and information was the most common subject of complaints.
Door-to-door fundraising also continues to be the subject of complaints as well as the delivery of charity collection bags. Concerns have included charities targeting vulnerable people, lack of supervision of subcontractors, and the time of day at which door-to-door fundraising is undertaken.
A number of complaints also highlight new issues in relation to fundraising by CICs, which are subject to less regulation than charities. Complaints have been made by members of the public, charity fundraisers, local authorities and the police. Their concerns included people being put under pressure to donate, lack of appropriate permissions, and misleading fundraising.
Implications for charities
It is important for all charities that undertake fundraising to comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice and to be aware of the forthcoming changes to the Code.
The frequency of complaints suggests that charities should take additional care to ensure that fundraising information is clear and not misleading, and that if door-to-door fundraising is undertaken, it is done in an appropriate way. This may include additional complications for charities using subcontractors or volunteers to undertake fundraising.
This piece was co-authored by Rebecca Willis, a trainee solicitor at the time of writing.
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