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Who regulates fundraising?
Fundraising communication is treated the same as other marketing and advertising, and comes under the remit of the Advertising Standards Authority, the independent body set up by the advertising industry to police rules laid down in a set of codes.
Every advertisement, including fundraising adverts and appeals – whether on the TV, radio, Internet, in a newspaper, on a poster or dropped on your doormat – is required to confirm to a code of conduct designed to prevent advertising that is either misleading or offensive.
Data protection legislation also affects many aspects of fundraising. The Data Protection Act lays down the rules on how personal data (like your name and address) can be used, and ensures that you can find out what information is held on you and what it is being used for.
In simple terms, an organisation cannot pass on personal information or start using it for a new purpose without contacting you and giving you the chance to say ‘no’ to this. It is also illegal to hold more personal information than is required for a certain purpose, or to hold it for longer than it is needed.
More detailed information and a guide to the Data Protection Act can be found on the Information Commission website.
Institute of Fundraising
Fundraising has it’s own professional membership organisation, the Institute of Fundraising. It promotes professional fundraising and encourages best practice through providing training and publishing its own codes. Its members are required to adhere to these codes.