The newly improved Code of Fundraising Practice has been published today, and will come into effect in October 2019.
The changes are designed to make it easier for fundraisers, charities and third-party organisations to understand the standards expected of them when fundraising. The new code is also easier for the public to use, so they can know what to expect from ethical fundraising.
The changes include:
- adding the rulebooks and legal appendices to the code, so that all standards can be found in one place
- a new structure for better navigation - the standards are in three parts, making it easy to know which ones apply depending on the type of fundraising
- being clear about the differences in law in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
- transparent, jargon-free language – the Plain English campaign gave the code a Crystal Mark standard.
These changes follow a consultation in autumn 2018, which focused on the style, presentation, clarity and accessibility of the current code.
Complaints will continue to be considered against the version of the code in effect at the time of the incident. This means the new code will be used as the basis for making decisions about any incidents that take place from October onwards.
Our website is currently being developed so that the code is easy to navigate online, and will be re-launched in October.
If you have any questions about the new fundraising code, please contact us.