Charity groups have welcomed the Payments Council’s decision to withdraw plans to abolish cheques by 2018, hailing it a victory “for common sense”.
Good causes had lobbied hard against the proposal, claiming it would seriously hit their fundraising efforts, especially among the over 65s.
The incoming chair of the Institute of Fundraising Mark Astarita – who is also director of fundraising at the British Red Cross – had even claimed that cheques are more important to fundraisers than mobile phones.
Simon Morrison, director of marketing and communications at the IoF, said the organisation was delighted with the Payments Council’s announcement. “It will make a world of difference to a lot of our members,” he said. “However, we hope this does not mean they will stop working to find a suitable alternative for the next generation – we think there’s a need for a replacement.”
National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) had also campaigned heavily on the issue. Policy manager James Allen said: “‘This is a really positive, common sense development and we are glad that the Payments Council have taken the sector’s views on board.
“We had heard a lot of concerns from our members about the impact that abolishing cheques would have on fundraising charities and other organisations across the sector.”
Charity Finance Directors’ Group (CFDG) chief executive Caron Bradshaw also welcomed the news, but added: “While this is clearly good news for all those charities set to be affected if cheques were withdrawn, we hope that this will not mean work to develop more secure, cost effective and efficient forms of payment stops.
“We understand that the Payments Council will continue to work to encourage innovation in methods of payment and we will work with them and the banks to ensure charity interests are represented.”
