Sir Stuart Etherington, from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, who led the review, said that the main regulator for the charity sector should also be scrapped.
Advertisement
The review concludes that while the FRSB has “striven hard”, it does not offer a credible form of regulation.
“We want to ensure the implementation of any changes to the current fundraising system are developed by charities who are fundraising in Scotland, to protect the interests of both the general public and the beneficiaries”.
Charities that harass or exploit donors should be exposed, and some banned from fundraising, a government-commissioned review has recommended.
He welcomed the review’s support for the Institute’s potential merger with the PFRA to create a single membership body for fundraising.
The panel recommends that the new regulator, provisionally entitled The Fundraising Regulator, reports to parliament’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee on a regular basis to ensure parliament has an opportunity to scrutinise its work on the public’s behalf.
Review of fundraising self-regulation calls on charities to resist pushy techniques, and instead build meaningful relationships with donors. Charities which seriously or persistently breach the rules would be named and shamed and could be forced to halt their fundraising until problems are resolved.
The Information Commissioner’s Office is investigating claims that former Army colonel Samuel Rae was targeted by fraudsters and lost thousands of pounds after his information ended up with scammers.
David Robb, chief executive of OSCR said more streamlined and effective regulation of fundraising would help maintain public confidence. But charities must not take that for granted.
The move would enable people who feel pressured by aggressive fundraising tactics to put a stop to further demands for donations. “Now we want to see charities and other third sector organisations come together to find the answers to these challenges, and to set out a much more rigorous approach to self-regulation which everyone can trust”.
Lord Wallace said: ‘Charities are playing an ever-greater role in society.
“We recognise the many recommendations which the review has made”.
The report says that throughout the review, there was evidence of greater collaboration between the IoF and the PFRA, and recommends the two organisations merge. The service would be overseen by the new regulator.
Research found that members of the public were frustrated about the lack of control over whether or not they were approached for fundraising and the lack of transparency over how their details were acquired.
The House of Lords review, set up in response to concerns over aggressive fundraising methods, proposes setting up a new register that will allow people to opt out of all contact from charities. Fundraisers should have a responsibility to check names against the list before sending out a campaign.
Advertisement
It would be better funded by charities.
