The Institute of Fundraising (IoF), the professional membership body for charity fundraisers and the Fundraising Regulator, are today releasing joint guidance on GDPR which has been reviewed and co-badged by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
The guidance is based on the questions that charities have asked and provides clear and practical answers. It gives an overview of GDPR for charities and fundraisers, looks at different fundraising methods, and identifies ways in which personal data is likely to be used in each case. The material signposts to more detailed guidance from key sources to fully equip fundraisers ahead of 25th May 2018.
By working together to produce this guidance, fundraisers and charities can be confident of a consistent approach that will help them as they plan their future work. The guidance is designed specifically for fundraisers and those in smaller organisations, and focuses on practical application of the law to real life scenarios.
"Fundraisers have had questions over how the law will apply in practice and we hope that these new guidance pieces help to demystify GDPR."
The guidance will be available for free and is supported by regulators and membership bodies across the UK: the Charity Commission, NCVO and WCVA; the Charity Commission Northern Ireland and NICVA; and the Scottish Independent Fundraising Panel.
Daniel Fluskey, Head of Policy and External Affairs, Institute of Fundraising, said: “We are delighted to have been able to work with the Fundraising Regulator and ICO to produce these new resources. It’s essential that fundraisers get GDPR right."
"We know that fundraisers have had questions over how the law will apply in practice and hope that these new guidance pieces help to demystify GDPR and enable fundraisers to plan their work to give supporters the best experience of fundraising.”
Gerald Oppenheim, Head of Policy at the Fundraising Regulator, said: “These ‘bite-size’ documents address questions we have received from fundraisers struggling to ensure their methods are GDPR compliant. We hope the new guidance will help fundraisers to feel confident in their practices in the lead up to May.”
"The GDPR is a response to an evolving landscape, building on previous legislation and bringing it in line with our 21st century world."
Jo Pedder, Head of Policy and Engagement for the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), said: “This is a pivotal time for data protection and privacy. The GDPR is a response to an evolving landscape, building on previous legislation and bringing it in line with our 21st century world. All organisations are different and we know that fundraisers are keen to get it right.
"This new joint Fundraising Regulator and Institute of Fundraising guidance, reviewed and co-badged by the ICO, has been designed to help you to understand what it means for you, so you can be transparent, accountable, and give people back control of their data.”