Charities warned of more to come

Sir Stuart Etherington’s report into the future of fundraising may be proposing a tough stance on charity marketing but there could be even more sanctions to come after the data regulator revealed its investigation into the sector is still ongoing.
While the Information Commissioner’s Office has welcomed the proposals it is calling on the public who still have concerns about charity methods to register them immediately.
The ICO has already wreaked havoc in the charity sector by insisting that all marketing data – including that of existing supporters – is checked against the Telephone Preference Service after it demanded a change of Institute of Fundraising rules.
The move followed concerns raised by the ICO that fundraisers who called existing donors who were on the TPS were in breach of the Privacy & Electronic Communications Regulations and could face enforcement action, with fines of up £500,000.
It is now investigating how long charities are allowed to keep hold of customer data before it becomes against the law to use it.
In a statement released today, the ICO said: “We welcome the fundraising review report and particularly the clear recommendations that fundraisers should comply with the Privacy & Electronic Communications Regulations and put our direct marketing guidance into practice.
“We will be producing further guidance looking at the issues of informed consent in relation to fundraising practices and the timescale of valid consent. The guidance will also give a clear indication of our approach to regulatory action. Our investigations into the charity sector are continuing and we’d ask any member of the public who still has concerns to report them to us.”