Age UK has confirmed that it will be joining its international arm in moving towards an opt-in consent model for its telephone fundraising.

Age International signed an undertaking with the ICO last Thursday, joining a number of other charities including the British Red Cross, the RNLI and Cancer Research UK in a move towards an explicit consent, opt-in model.  

In a statement to Civil Society News, an Age UK spokeswoman said that the charity would be “abiding by all the terms of the voluntary agreement into which Age International has already entered”.

She said that, in the wake of an FRSB’s adjudication ruling, also published last week, the charity has already “made a commitment to contact our charitable donors every two years to ask them if they are happy to renew their consent for us to continue calling them for fundraising purposes”.

Age UK is likely to implement its opt-in consent model within the next 12 months, as per its international arm’s agreement with the ICO.

The spokeswoman said “we take our responsibilities very seriously and protecting vulnerable groups is at the heart of what we do and our fundraising activity is developed with our donors and older people in mind”.

She also pointed to Age UK's fundraising charter, which goes "above and beyond" merely complying with the IoF's Code of Fundraising Practice.