The Fundraising Regulator has announced they will be undertaking a two-year review of the Code of Fundraising Practice, with the aim of releasing a new Code in 2024. We’re pleased that they are taking the time to do a thorough review. The Code is the foundation of safe and legal fundraising, but how people give is changing and charities are adapting to them, meaning now is a great time to review it.
At the moment we are at the very beginning of the process. The current Call for Information asks for feedback on what is working and what areas can be improved by the 25th November.
You can read an outline of our submission for the Call for Information here. If you would like to provide any feedback please email policy@ciof.org.uk .
Overall, it feels that the general view of members is that there are many areas of the Code that are working well- the shift to plain English and the revised structure in 2019 have made it easy to understand.
Equally, the standards and values in the Code match up with our members’ views and expectations on how to carry out fundraising safely and legally. They manage to strike the right balance of protecting the public from harm, particularly those in vulnerable circumstances, whilst giving charities license to develop their own way to engage supporters and build long-term relationships with them.
Whilst the Code has many strengths, we did identify some areas of improvement, although how they should be included is not straightforward. New technologies and innovation is of course an area that could be included, but making sure standards keep up with the latest developments- both in terms of technology itself and other regulations- is challenging. Would guidance be a more suitable way to approach this?
Members’ views also vary depending on how they use the Code. Larger charities with more resources tend to prefer a Code with less detail, focusing more on principles and values with accompanying guidance. Alternatively, smaller charities tend to prefer the Code to include more detail, such as more detailed standards relating to data protection. It’s clear that there are no simple solution, but given we are at the beginning of the process we are confident they are a good starting point to build on the Code’s strengths.
There were many different subjects that came up through discussions with members, including whether the Code should be applicable to CICs and opportunities to bring the standards to life through different formats. You can read the draft response here.
Over the next two years, we are going to be working with members to make sure your views are heard so that changes to the Code are applicable to charities of all sizes in all Nations.
So far we have:
- Hosted a webinar with the Regulator on 9th November so you could share your thoughts directly with them
- Discussed the Code in the compliance forum so you can hear from your peers
- Invited you to have one-to-one chats with the policy team
As we move through the process, we will continue to offer you opportunities like this to share you thoughts. Remember- it’s not too late for you to share your thoughts on the Call for Information. Please email policy@ciof.org.uk if you want to get in touch.