The Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIOF) has issued a sincere apology in response to an Independent Review which has found that the organisation failed in its responses to past allegations of sexual harassment/assault.
The CIOF fully accepts the findings and recommendations of the Review which has been conducted by an independent organisation, JEDI Consultancy. These can be found in the published Summary of Findings.
Nadine Campbell, Chair of the CIOF said:
“We are deeply sorry to those who experienced sexual harassment/assault, for failing in our responses to past incidents of such behaviour and for the subsequent distress and trauma this has caused those individuals.
“We fully recognise and accept that the CIOF has made mistakes which have resulted in our failure to protect and support people in our community and has unnecessarily prolonged the pain they have had to endure.
“We wholly acknowledge that we failed in a number of ways.
“In particular, the CIOF apologises for not believing or supporting individuals who told us that they had been subjected to sexual harassment/assault. We did not demonstrate adequate concern or provide sufficient support for those individuals who made the very difficult decision to disclose to us what they had gone through. Further, errors made by the CIOF has meant they have had to endure both an investigation by a HR consultancy in 2021 and this Independent Review by JEDI Consultancy. This lengthy process of investigation has placed a heavy burden upon them.
“We failed in not putting the necessary safeguarding and governance policies and procedures in place so we can fully protect and support people. We also did not have the right checks and balances to ensure external monitoring of safeguarding. We did not prioritise and we did not move fast enough in tackling fundamental cultural and organisational failings.
“In 2021, the CIOF asked the HR consultancy undertaking an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by a member to extend it to include a connected complaint against the CIOF’s then CEO* that he had not acted on a report of sexual harassment made in 2014 at that year’s Convention.
“On the basis of the evidence that was available to the HR consultancy, the first stage of their investigation subsequently concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, a complaint of sexual harassment was not reported to the CIOF’s then CEO* at the 2014 Convention.
“The CIOF’s wider scope for the Independent Review enabled JEDI Consultancy to speak to a broader range of people involved with the Institute of Fundraising** between 2012-2018 to learn more about the culture at the time and this resulted in a key eyewitness being interviewed. Also, JEDI Consultancy had access to a key email which ought to have been provided by the CIOF to the investigation conducted by the HR consultancy in 2021 but was not identified until after the investigation had concluded. The CIOF is very sorry for that failing and has now improved its systems to ensure this would not happen again.
“The Independent Review by JEDI Consultancy now finds that: ‘….the events as described by the anonymous attendee of the 2014 Convention, namely that she had told the former Chief Executive Officer about allegations of sexual harassment/assault at the relevant time, are more likely than not to have occurred. We accept the evidence of the anonymous attendee.’
“Our response to those people who came to us for support has been regrettably poor and we are deeply sorry we let them down. We are immensely grateful to them for raising their concerns and contributing to this Independent Review and for their patience in enduring such a lengthy process.
“We are fully focused on learning from the mistakes we have made. We have put much thought and effort into making safeguarding a crucial priority at the CIOF. Following the Learning Review conducted by the HR consultancy in 2020/2021, the CIOF developed an Action Plan with detailed measures to protect and support people through culture change, safeguarding and governance.
“These vital measures include the introduction of an anonymous reporting tool, Talk to Spot, where people can confidentially and anonymously record and report concerns.
“There have also been the appointments of a Safeguarding Trustee with oversight of the complaints process and safeguarding work and a Head of Professional Conduct who is a registered social worker to support those who raise concerns, an updated Code of Conduct to uphold the highest standards of professional conduct in every professional setting, and the formation of a Professional Conduct Committee with seven independent members to scrutinise policies and procedures, and advise the CIOF’s Board of Trustees on best practice.
“The Independent Review conducted by JEDI Consultancy has found that each of the measures in the CIOF’s 23-point Action Plan on safeguarding has now been put in place. The Independent Review has made further recommendations for continued improvement, including simplifying the CIOF’s complaints processes, clarifying how anonymous and informal complaints will be addressed and ensuring such processes are reviewed on a regular basis. We will take forward these recommendations with urgency, guided by the Professional Conduct Committee.
“Our approach to safeguarding is based upon three key principles.
“The first is ‘Do no harm first. The CIOF and the fundraising profession has to be a place where everyone is safe.’
“Second, ‘Believe all those who come forward. Make it safe, simple and supportive if people disclose. Make that process a fair and balanced one.’
“Finally, ‘Listen, learn and work to share progress openly, honestly and transparently. We know that this is vital to rebuild trust and also to create systemic change.’
“We cannot guarantee we will get everything right, but we are wholly committed to ensuring that our community, be that staff, volunteers, members or attendees at events and training are safe and supported and that we have the most rigorous safeguarding processes in place. We will continue to improve, learn and adapt.”
Raggi Kotak, Director of JEDI Consultancy, who led the Independent Review, said:
“We wish to thank those who had the courage to bring these painful issues to the fore. We recognise that this has come at huge personal cost.
“The CIOF has an important role in creating robust standards of safety and behaviour for the fundraising sector. We encourage them to continue to take bold and active steps forward, to ensure that issues of oppression are completely eradicated.”
* This relates to the CEO in post at the Institute of Fundraising/CIOF from 2011 to June 2021.
** The CIOF gained Royal Charter status in 2020. Prior to that, the organisation was known as the Institute of Fundraising.
The Independent Review was commissioned by the CIOF in March 2022 and was conducted by an independent organisation, JEDI Consultancy. The Summary of Findings of the Independent Review are published on the CIOF’s website . The CIOF committed to publish the findings and recommendations when it initiated the Independent Review. The Summary of Findings is taken from a longer report written by JEDI Consultancy which contains third party and confidential data and cannot therefore be published in full. The Working Group of the Independent Review and the CIOF’s Board of Trustees have seen the full report.
Learning Review in 2020/2021: A HR consultancy was commissioned to undertake a Learning Review of the CIOF’s complaints process following an investigation into complaints against a member. This review was completed in March 2021. The CIOF’s Board of Trustees accepted all the recommendations which led to the CIOF’s Action Plan.
Investigations in 2021: The HR consultancy was also commissioned to look at specific complaints. There were two stages of this investigation and both completed in 2021.
Independent Review in 2022: After these investigations concluded, it was agreed that an Independent Review would be carried out to address concerns that complaints about sexual harassment and/or assault within the membership had not been acted upon. The Board set up a Working Group to commission the Independent Review. After a tendering process, JEDI Consultancy was appointed in March 2022 to carry out this Review.
The purpose of the Independent Review undertaken by JEDI Consultancy was to:
- Learn from the CIOF’s past failures in handling sexual harassment complaints and ensure that all those involved with the CIOF are safeguarded through appropriate, transparent and accessible complaint handling processes.
- Examine the extent to which the recommendations made in the Learning Review and actions detailed in the Action Plan have been implemented.
- Make further recommendations on how the CIOF can implement harassment, discrimination and bullying prevention strategies, trauma-informed responses and promote culture change and safeguarding at the CIOF.
The full Terms of Reference for the Independent Review are set out here and updates are published via our Safe Environment Hub.
Frequently asked questions can be found on our website.
A joint apology from Katie Docherty and Nadine Campbell can be found here.
As the professional membership body for UK fundraising, the CIOF has a responsibility to its staff, volunteers, members, delegates and others, ensuring that all those involved with the organisation are safeguarded, with robust, transparent and accessible complaint handling procedures in place.
Media queries:
For media queries, please contact Claire Stanley, Director of Policy and Communications
Email: claires@ciof.org.uk
Mobile: 07740 123338