Annual report
Download our annual report and accounts 2020/21
Support for voluntary fundraising regulation
The Fundraising Regulator is funded by an annual levy on charities spending £100,000 or more on their fundraising. In 2020/21, 98% of those eligible contributed the levy, which is the highest rate to date. In total, 1,974 fundraising organisations contributed £2.17 million to the levy. This shows the sector’s commitment to voluntary fundraising regulation.
We also saw a 24% increase in small charity and non-charity registrations. In total, 4,975 organisations registered with us and could display the Fundraising Badge to show their commitment to legal, honest, open and respectful fundraising.
Using data and intelligence to inform our regulation
We use data inform our regulatory approach. This includes reviewing intelligence from our enquiries service; understanding how the Code of Fundraising Practice is used; looking at themes in our casework; and, compiling data about charity complaints in our Annual Complaints Report.
We saw more enquiries and complaints in digital fundraising, increasing media interest in crowdfunding and evidence of more lotteries and free draws activity. We will monitor the development of fundraising methods, and ensure our regulation reflects the latest practice.
A proportionate and effective approach to casework
We received 1,035 complaints – a 24% increase compared to last year – and 377 of these were about charitable fundraising. We improved our website to better explain the cases we can consider and to signpost to other regulators who might be able to help for those which fall outside our remit.
Our revised casework process ensures a more proportionate approach, as we review cases in depth at the outset to seek assurances and offer remedial support. This has reduced the need for formal investigation but does mean those we conduct are increasingly complex.
Raising public awareness of fundraising regulation
We have been working to improve public awareness of the Fundraising Badge, which shows that an organisation has committed to excellent fundraising. By increasing recognition of the badge, we can help people make a more informed donation decision and protect public trust in fundraising.
We also increased the number of public-facing resources on our website, to help people better understand charitable fundraising using charity bags and what behaviours to expect from fundraisers.
More than 2,000 people stopped direct marketing from charities
The Fundraising Preference Service is a free service which helps people to stop direct marketing contact from charities registered in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This year alone, 2,275 people used the FPS, an increase of 15% on the previous year.
In 2020, we commissioned an independent review of the FPS and committed to all of the recommendations. We have made cost savings of 42.5% and are working on improvements to the FPS website, which will be implemented in 2022.
