Complaints about Community Interest Companies rise by 50%, Fundraising Regulator report finds
- CIC fundraising complaints account for 18% of total complaints to the Fundraising Regulator in 2024-2025
- Misleading information, alongside repeated communication, remains top cause of complaints
- Charity bags and clothing banks, collections, and face-to-face fundraising methods continue to draw the most complaints
Fundraising by Community Interest Companies (CICs) now accounts for almost one in five (18%) of complaints made to the Fundraising Regulator – up from 12% a year ago.
The Fundraising Regulator received 73 complaints about CICs, out of a total of 387 in-remit complaints between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2025.
The Casework Insights and Trends Report, published today, reveals concerns about CICs mostly related to negative fundraiser behaviour, pressure to donate, inadequate licences and permissions, and misleading fundraising practices. 15% of these concerned only two high-profile CICs, Inside Success and We R Blighty.
The Fundraising Regulator has convened a national coalition of enforcement and regulatory bodies to strengthen the regulation and enforcement of unlicenced fundraising by a small number of CICs. The coalition is in ongoing discussions with the Government to advocate for outdated legislative to be updated, in order to protect the public and high streets from unlicensed charitable street collections.
Gerald Oppenheim, Chief Executive of the Fundraising Regulator, said:
“While this year’s Casework Insights and Trends Report shows a similar composition of complaints to previous years, it also clearly shows the need for stronger regulation of Community Interest Companies.
While the vast majority of CICs do fantastic work, a small minority appear to be taking advantage of the looser regulatory standards to which they are subject to engage in poor fundraising practice that erodes public trust and damages charities.
“We are continuing to work with local authorities, the police, and other regulators to address this issue.”
The Casework Insights and Trends Report also shows that most complaints made in 2024-5 concerned repeated contact and misleading information, accounting for 56 complaints each. Complaints about repeated contact rose 133% year-on-year - up from 24 in 2023-4.
Complaints concerning fundraiser behaviour, pressure to donate, and licences and permissions decreased, by 4.1%, 12.1%, and 10.5% respectively.
Charity bags and clothing banks remain the most complained about method of fundraising, followed by collections, face-to-face fundraising, addressed mail, and digital fundraising.
The new Code of Fundraising Practice, which came into force on November 1 2025, has strengthened rules for unstaffed collections such as charity bags and clothing banks. The new Code also clarifies rules on potentially misleading information – particularly regarding case studies and sponsorship fundraising.
The Fundraising Regulator received 1284 cases over the reporting period – a 9% increase on 2023-4, and closed 1294. This includes some opened before this reporting year. 499 were considered to be in-remit.
Reshard Auladin, Chair of the Complaints and Investigations Committee, said:
“This year’s report demonstrates once again the vital work of the Fundraising Regulator, alongside a continued increase in casework and engagement with both the public and the sector. It highlights the importance of robust, independent regulation in identifying issues early, responding to concerns, and helping to uphold public confidence in fundraising activity.
“We continue to work hard to maintain the highest standards in charitable fundraising. We provide timely guidance to the public and the charity sector, analysing and identifying what drives complaints, and ensuring organisations involved in charitable fundraising meet the requirements of the Code of Fundraising Practice, so the public can give with confidence”
The Fundraising Regulator’s Casework Insights and Trends Report, published today, replaces the Annual Complaints Report, and differs from it by capturing and analysing only complaints made to the Fundraising Regulator directly between 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025The Fundraising Regulator will be launching a separate project later this year looking at complaints data received by charities.
The full Casework Insights and Trends Report, report can be accessed here.