1.Behaviour when fundraising
1.1 General behaviour
In this section, ‘you’ means a charitable institution or third-party fundraiser.
Your fundraising must be legal, open, honest and respectful.
If you are found to have broken the law while fundraising, you will not have kept to rule 1.1.1 and we may take action against you.
You must take all reasonable steps to make sure your fundraising is carried out in a way that reflects positively on fundraising in general. This includes:
- not unreasonably intruding on a person’s privacy;
- not putting undue pressure on a person to donate;
- not using unreasonably persistent approaches; and
- accepting a request to end an interaction.
You must not unfairly criticise or insult other people or organisations.
You must not encourage an existing or potential donor to cancel or change an existing donation in favour of a donation to another charitable institution.
This rule is not intended to cover situations where a charitable institution is changing structure (for example, merging) or is being wound up. In these situations, it may be appropriate for a charitable institution to encourage donors to transfer their donations to the new organisation.
Fundraising Regulator: Key behaviours expected of fundraisers
1.2 Informing donors and treating people fairly
In this section, ‘you’ means a charitable institution or third-party fundraiser.
Your fundraising must not mislead existing or potential donors. This includes by:
- leaving out information;
- giving inaccurate or unclear information; or
- exaggerating details.
For example, you must not claim a donation will be used for a restricted purpose (such as buying a piece of medical equipment or helping a particular child) if it may be used for another purpose
When collecting donations for a restricted purpose you must provide information about what will happen if you raise more than or less than the target amount.
Charities often ask for donations for a specific purpose or with a target in mind, such as to fix a church roof or buy a piece of medical equipment. Sometimes these campaigns do not raise enough money to meet their target, and sometimes they raise more money than is needed. If this happens it may be necessary to refund some or all of the donations.
One way to deal with this is to include clear information about a secondary purpose when asking for donations. This can take the form of a brief explanation of how funds donated for the original purpose will be used if the target is not met, or if more than the target amount is raised.
Examples include using the funds for another similar purpose, or putting them towards the general work of the charitable institution.
Fundraising Regulator: What to do if you raise more donations than you need, don’t raise enough, or cannot achieve your purpose
Charity Commission for England and Wales (CCEW): Charity fundraising appeals for specific purposes
You must have appropriate evidence before you make any claim in your fundraising which is likely to be taken literally. This includes direct claims and implied claims.
This rule applies to claims about the costs associated with your fundraising activity.
You must not take advantage of mistakes made by a donor.
You must explain that you are not offering financial advice when talking about any financial benefits to the donor of making a donation.
You must take all reasonable steps to treat existing or potential donors fairly, so that they can make an informed decision about any donation.
Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIoF): Treating donors fairly
In England, Wales and Scotland, under the Equality Act 2010, you are legally required to make sure your fundraising does not discriminate against people with characteristics that are protected by the law.
In Northern Ireland, fundraising must meet equality law as it applies in Northern Ireland. You are legally required to make sure your fundraising does not discriminate against people with characteristics that are protected by the law. Each protected characteristic has its own specific piece of legislation, and anti-discrimination law is not grouped together in one specific act.
More information:
- The Equality and Human Rights Commission
- In Northern Ireland: The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland