The Fundraising Regulator has launched an 18-month partnership with BMG Research Ltd to look into complaints that charities receive about their fundraising.
The new research project will look at the types of fundraising complaints that charities receive during 2026/27 and how the sector can learn from their experience. A sample of fundraising levy payers and small charities listed in the Fundraising Regulator’s Directory will be invited to voluntarily take part. The project will conclude with a report on the findings, that is expected to be published in mid-2027.
This is a great opportunity for individual charities and the wider sector to understand more about how supporters, donors and the public view fundraising, as expressed through complaints to charities. It’s a chance to reflect on practice and make changes where needed. The research findings will also help the Fundraising Regulator to see the current weak spots in fundraising and shape guidance and resources to help support good practice.
BMG has significant experience recruiting charities, businesses, and other organisations to take part in voluntary research. They have been research partner of the Charity Commission for England and Wales since 2023 and have delivered several studies, including annual surveys with trustees to explore trust in charities.
Last year we published a blog describing our future plans for carrying out research into fundraising complaints across the sector. We decided to contract out the work to enable us to expand the research and give more fundraising charities of all sizes the opportunity to get involved. We are now delighted that this project can begin.
Our new partnership with BMG will update and replace the approach taken previously by our Annual Complaints Report (ACR) Part Two. That research, carried out in-house by the Fundraising Regulator, focused on 58 of the largest and levy paying fundraising charities to identify the most complained about fundraising methods amongst those charities. The forthcoming research will significantly expand on that sample size and include a cohort of medium and small fundraising charities.
The next steps for the new research will include a sample of charities being selected and invited to take part by BMG. We encourage all charities in our Directory to watch out for a potential invite. The data and information submitted to researchers by individual charities will be anonymised in the final report and the Fundraising Regulator will not know which charities have participated in the research.
We really hope those invited to take part will want to get involved and help the sector and the Fundraising Regulator understand more about current fundraising practices.