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Charity opt-out service launched to crack down on donation requests Charity opt-out service launched to crack down on donation requests
(35 minutes later)
Charities could be fined tens of thousands of pounds if they fail to comply with rules introduced this week to crack down on nuisance requests for donations.Charities could be fined tens of thousands of pounds if they fail to comply with rules introduced this week to crack down on nuisance requests for donations.
The Fundraising Preference Service (FPS), which launches on Thursday, will allow people to say they want a specified charity or charities to stop contacting them directly by phone, email, text or post.The Fundraising Preference Service (FPS), which launches on Thursday, will allow people to say they want a specified charity or charities to stop contacting them directly by phone, email, text or post.
Should a charity fail to comply, it may be reported by the fundraising regulator to the information commissioner.Should a charity fail to comply, it may be reported by the fundraising regulator to the information commissioner.
The head of the regulator, Michael Grade, said some charities had proven to be “laggards” in reforming their ways despite several high-profile cases exposing “extremely aggressive” practices in recent years. The chairman of the regulator, Michael Grade, urged charities to understand “a whole mood change about giving people much more control over their data”.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Lord Grade said: “These stories rightly shocked Britain, and our trust in the charity sector has been sorely tested. It should be no surprise, therefore, that they have led to significant changes to the regulations governing fundraising in this country, designed both to restore that trust and to ensure that such terrible practices are never again tolerated.”
In 2015 there was an outcry over the case of 92-year-old Olive Cooke, one of Britain’s oldest and longest-serving poppy sellers, who killed herself after receiving up to 267 letters a month as well as regular phone calls from fundraisers.In 2015 there was an outcry over the case of 92-year-old Olive Cooke, one of Britain’s oldest and longest-serving poppy sellers, who killed herself after receiving up to 267 letters a month as well as regular phone calls from fundraisers.
Grade said it had been an “annus horribilis” for Britain’s charities, during which some had been exposed for prioritising raising as much money as possible without regard for the donors being targeted. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Grade said Cooke’s case marked a turning point. He said: “As a result of that high-profile tragedy it was clear that there was bad practice across many many charities. The public are rejecting the idea that anybody is free to bombard them.”
The former chairman of BBC and ITV said: “From this Thursday you will have the power to control the flow of communications that you receive from charities thanks to the Fundraising Preference Service. Developed and operated by the Fundraising Regulator, which I chair, it will enable you to block direct marketing communications from particular charities. He added: “Quite a few [charities] have yet to get it: ‘We’re doing nothing wrong; the ends justify the means,’ we hear that all the time from quite a few charities. Many have embraced the new world, but charities have to understand that fabulous generosity of the British public cannot be taken for granted.”
“In practice, this will mean that you will be able to go online or pick up a phone and name charities from which you no longer want to receive post, phone, text or email marketing communications.” Explaining the new service Grade said: “You can go online, and you can send a message, that you do not want to hear either from any charities or you only want to hear from those charities that you select that you favour.”
He said charities found to be flouting those preferences could be fined up to £25,000. Grade, a former chairman of ITV and BBC, added: “We don’t have the power to fine at the fundraising regulator but the Information Commissioner’s Office does. If we refer that some charity is abusing and not respecting the fundraising preference service choice that they make, they can then fine them. The figure of £25,000 arises out of one particular case. They have plenty of powers to make the fines hurt and to make it effective.”
Charities reported to the regulator will be issued with suppression orders giving them 28 days to stop contacting the complainant with unsolicited messages.Charities reported to the regulator will be issued with suppression orders giving them 28 days to stop contacting the complainant with unsolicited messages.
Should they continue, the charities could be reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which has the power to prosecute under the Data Protection Act 1998 and issue fines if there has been a breach.Should they continue, the charities could be reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which has the power to prosecute under the Data Protection Act 1998 and issue fines if there has been a breach.