Annual report and accounts 2023/24

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Annual Report

Read our Annual Report for the 2023-2024 financial year.

The financial year 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024 saw us continue with our work to review the Code of Fundraising Practice ahead of the launch of the new version in 2025. This has also been the first full year that we have had our new proactive regulation team, making sure we can effectively monitor and explore emerging or unaddressed issues about charity fundraising and confront challenges before they crystallise. 

Public perception of charitable fundraising remains positive

ways to donate to charities drawn in cartoon format, with two smiling figures in front of them

In September 2023, we commissioned Opinium to conduct research into the public’s perceptions, experience, and expectations of charitable fundraising. We were heartened to find that overall charities perform well when it comes to public trust, with half of those surveyed generally trusting charities to deliver on what they promise.

Encouragingly, two-fifths of survey respondents said that the existence of the Fundraising Regulator would make them more likely to trust regulated charitable fundraisers. This demonstrates the value of charities displaying the Fundraising Badge to show they are committed to best practice when fundraising.

In numbers 2023/24

In numbers 2023/24

We received

1,191

Nearly

6,600

We received

679

There were nearly

2,350

We featured in

1,582

We closed

92%

Over

7,300

We collected

98%

A message from our chair

The charitable fundraising sector has faced challenges as the continued cost of living crisis has increased demand on services, while many organisations have seen further increased costs and reduced fundraising income. Additionally, charities have been adapting to new and emerging fundraising methods, and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), which has presented both new opportunities and challenges for the sector.

As always, we want to thank charities and their partners for showing their support for independent regulation and commitment to fundraising best practice during these times of change and uncertainty through registering with us.

Lord Toby Harris

Headshot of Lord Harris of Haringey

Increasing use and recognition of our casework service

1,191 incoming cases

In 2023/24, our casework team received 1,191 incoming cases overall – a 5% increase on 2022/23 (1,137 cases).  In this reporting period 1,140 cases were closed and 92% of cases were closed within four weeks. Our target was completing 90% of cases within four weeks of receiving a complaint.

We received 31 self-reports, an increase of 55% from the 20 organisations in 2022/23. Some were prompted by press stories identifying poor door-to-door fundraising activity carried out by subcontracted fundraising agencies. This resulted in us opening an investigation into the activity identified.

A message from our Chief Executive

This year saw us continue with our work to review the Code of Fundraising Practice (the code) ahead of the launch of the new version in 2025. In Autumn 2023, we ran our first 12-week consultation seeking the sector’s views on our proposals to update the code. This included carrying out engagement events with key partners in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland to ensure the consultation had a wide reach. Since then, we have redrafted the code to make it more principles based whilst retaining clear rules - taking account of the feedback we received during the consultation process - and prepared a final eight-week consultation on the new framework. Next year we will launch the new code and guidance alongside a programme of training and support for the sector.

Following the trend of recent years, our complaints caseload has continued to rise, and we have seen a further increase in the use of our self-reporting pathway by charities. It is encouraging to see that 31 organisations submitted self-reports to us this year (an increase from the 20 we had last year) as it enables us to have constructive conversations with these organisations to help resolve issues and improve fundraising best practice. 

Gerald Oppenheim, Chief Executive

Headshot of the Fundraising Regulator's Chief Executive Gerald Oppenheim

Our proactive regulation team publishes our first market inquiry

Door-to-door fundraising has continued to be one of the more complained about fundraising methods to the regulator and sample charities. Complaints about door-to-door fundraising included concerns that vulnerable members of the public were being targeted; the legitimacy of the door-to-door fundraisers; and the time of day that fundraisers were knocking on doors. Agency use of subcontractors and sub-subcontractors can make it more challenging for charities to retain appropriate oversight and control of compl

This was the first full year of the Fundraising Regulator’s proactive regulation team. Following intelligence from complaints, self-reports, and in the press, the team published our first market inquiry to investigate issues related to the use of subcontracting in face-to-face fundraising by charities and fundraising agencies.

Since the report was published, we have been working with the Chartered Institute of Fundraising and the Charity of Commission for England and Wales to help support updated guidance and ensure consistency for the sector. 

Copies of other historic reports are available on request, please contact us with any general enquiries a admin@fundraisingregulator.org.uk.