Please note: This page contains mention of sexual harassment against women.
We know that our statement on our investigations into sexual harassment complaints in the fundraising sector was not clear enough and recognise this has caused confusion and distress, which is far from what was intended. The tone and timing of our response added to that for which we are truly sorry.
The past week’s events emphasise more than ever the critical issue of women’s safety. We must do our utmost to ensure a safe environment for all fundraisers and that is something we are deeply committed to. When it comes to protecting the fundraising community, this includes ensuring we have robust policies for complaint handling, investigations and appropriate sanctions, and that we start from the basis of always believing someone who discloses abuse and ensuring we are able to deal with these complaints without placing further burden on the people who report it.
A number of questions have been raised, which we are formally reviewing as a matter of priority. We will provide further clarification shortly. This includes responding to issues raised by our Group Chairs, Fellows and other members today, to whom we are very grateful.
We continue to encourage anyone seeking clarification around how a complaint to the Chartered Institute will be handled, to contact independent helpline Tell Jane (0800 689 0843) for confidential support.
You can read our previous statement here.