The Fundraising Regulator has today published its latest annual report and accounts, which reveals a 98% payment rate of the voluntary Fundraising Levy over the past year - the highest rate to date - as charities continue to commit to voluntary regulation.
During the reporting period, which covers 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021, 1,974 eligible fundraising organisations contributed a total of £2.17 million to the levy, which funds the UK’s model of voluntary fundraising regulation.
We also had a 26% increase in smaller charity registrations. A total of 4,975 fundraising organisations were registered with us and committed to best fundraising practice at our year-end.
The annual report also reflects on our continued response to the pandemic. During the year, we published guidance to support the sector to navigate in-person fundraising, as well as our Annual Complaints Report, which found that online fundraising was the most complained about fundraising method while in-person methods were largely paused. We will continue to produce resources in this area, as online becomes the preferred way to donate and fundraise.
We also focused on raising public awareness of the Fundraising Badge. When an organisation registers with the Fundraising Regulator, they can use the badge on their fundraising materials, such as on their website or on advertisements, to show potential donors that they have committed to excellent fundraising practice. Over the year, there has been increasingly widespread and prominent use of the badge on charity fundraising campaigns.
In the year ahead, we will be developing our priorities for the next five years. We will be engaging with the sector in the coming months on our new strategic plan, which will set out the regulator’s aims until 2027.
We will be presenting the highlights of the year and our future plans at our annual event on 1 March 2022. The event will be the sector’s opportunity to hear directly from our board and ask questions about our regulation. The event will be held virtually, and it is open access to all.
Lord Toby Harris, Chair of the Fundraising Regulator, said:
“After another uncertain year which brought continued challenges for the charitable fundraising sector, I commend the hard work of charities and fundraisers, many of whom adapted their fundraising activity to fundraise safely and responsibly. The sector has shown its continued commitment to self-regulation, demonstrated by an increase in registrations with us, and the highest rate of payment yet of the Fundraising Levy. We look forward to continued collaboration with the sector as we enter our new reporting year.”