In the absence of legislation applying to direct debit forms of fundraising, we work with local authorities and Business Improvement Districts (BIDS) to establish co-regulatory agreements. These Site Management Agreements (SMA) set controls on where and when fundraising can take place.
We make sure our members stick to the terms of the SMA through a programme of spot checks, mystery shopping and co-regulation with our council partners. Breaches of the conditions of the SMA attract penalty points under our penalties and sanctions regime.
Through these agreements, we are aiming to balance the duty of charities to ask the public for support with the right of the public not to be put under undue pressure to give.
- The location in which fundraisers may work. This usually includes a map and specific instructions such as “High Street between Church Street and Main Road”
- Which days of the week fundraisers may attend. The number of days will vary according to the size and footfall of the location
- How many fundraisers may attend. The number of fundraisers will vary between 2 and 6, according to the size and footfall of the location
- Other local considerations
The Compliance Directorate then runs a 4 weekly site diary, ensuring that only one charity operates on the site at any one time and that the authority has advance notice of who this will be. Throughout the time that a charity is onsite, they are expected to abide by both the terms of the agreement and the behaviours set out in the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Compliance Rule Book Street Fundraising (regular giving) and may be subject to mystery shopping.
We have a basic SMA template, but the final agreement is the result of negotiations between the Chartered Institute, the local authority/BID and the Chartered Institute's member charities to tailor the SMA to the specific requirements of the area.
The Chartered Institute will visit the council to discuss requirements and to conduct a ‘site walk’ to identify suitable fundraising locations, taking account of pedestrian flow, potential pinch points, street furniture, event spaces etc.
You can take a look at the existing SMAs that we have with councils for a guide as to what is contained in most of our agreements here.
You should consider working with the Chartered Institute's Compliance Directorate to draw up a Site Management Agreement if:
- You have regular visits from direct debit street fundraisers across one or more locations
- You want greater control and transparency over how and when fundraisers are working in your area. An SMA will often result in fundraisers visiting your area less frequently than in the absence of an SMA
- You want a “one-stop shop” for queries or concerns regarding F2F fundraising
SMAs are suitable for locations administered by:
- Local authority licensing officers
- Town centre or area managers
- Business Improvement Districts (BIDs)
If you think you would benefit from an agreement, please complete the online form.
With an SMA in place, the Chartered Institute will at no cost to the local authority:
- Manage the designated sites according to our diary systems to ensure that only one charity fundraises at any given time within the designated area and only on the days of the week specified
- Provide a single point-of-contact for the council regarding face-to-face fundraising, instead of dealing with each individual charity and fundraising organisation separately
- Offer speedy resolution for issues on the ground. Should Chartered Institute members breach the terms of the SMA – for instance by straying outside the delineated areas or sending too many fundraisers, one call to the Compliance Directorate can usually resolve problems within the hour
- Issue penalty points against Chartered Institute members for any breaches reported by the named gatekeepers within the local authority
In our last annual survey of local authorities, approximately 90 per cent of those with an agreement said they would recommend it to others.