- Stephen Pidgeon, elected trustee and chair of the IoF's standards board
There is a muddle in fundraising self-regulation. The Institute of Fundraising should set all fundraising standards, including face-to-face. Public complaints that remain unresolved by the charity should be judged by the Fundraising Standards Board. The Public Fundraising Regulatory Association has a massive new role in the wake of Lord Hodgson's review of the Charities Act, organising charities' direct access to the public. It should establish an extensive programme to monitor standards, with any breaches reported to the charity.
- Jenni Anderson, assistant director, the Scout Association
The sector has spent many years highlighting how fundraising is a profession. Regulation plays a role in this. Signing up to a professional code helps us to focus on fair and honest practice. This is great for those who think about it every day, but how many of our regulations are understood by our donors? I'm not sure reassessing the responsibilities of the regulatory bodies would provide any more transparency. However, it might avoid duplication for fundraisers who need to balance 'the rules' with finding innovative ways to maximise their income.
- Cath Lee, chief executive, Small Charities Coalition
The majority of small charities do conduct their fundraising activity in an honest, transparent and accountable way and many do follow the IoFs standards. The costs and complexity of the current self-regulatory landscape can create barriers. Many small charities would welcome the endorsement offered by a recognised fundraising mark of quality. In order to sign up they need easier access to information, simpler rules and a proportionate fee. They also need the rug not to be pulled out from under them and statutory regulation to be introduced because work on this has been too slow.
- Read Stephen Cook's editorial on the future of face-to-face fundraising
