Charity groups are calling for a single body to handle complaints from the public about fundraising activities, amid widespread confusion about who to moan to when third-sector organisations cock up.
The Institute of Fundraising’s chief executive Peter Lewis reportedly believes it makes sense for there to be just one, public-facing complaints body for fundraising.
The IoF is currently in discussions with the Fundraising Standards Board (FSB) and the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (PFRA) to agree the different functions of the three sector bodies.
Lewis backed plans by Sally de la Bedoyere, the new chief executive of the PFRA, who is considering passing the body’s public complaints function to the FRSB, which handles complaints about other types of fundraising.
“The top line [is] that there needs to be greater clarity about the roles of ourselves, the PFRA and the FRSB, and I absolutely agree,” said Lewis.
“We agree there needs to be clarity over which organisation writes the rules, which we think are our fundraising code. So we think that the PFRA’s rule book and the FRSB promise should be part of our code so it all sits together in a neat and tidy way.”
All three groups currently have complaints departments but the annual report of the FSB – chaired by former DMA president Colin Lloyd – is seen as the benchmark for complaints about charity marketing.
