The Fundraising Standards Board and the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association have signed a memorandum of understanding which outlines each organisation’s roles and responsibilities for regulating face-to-face fundraising.

The two organisations describe the document’s aim as “improving the self-regulatory landscape and quality of face-to-face fundraising; thereby protecting and enhancing public trust and confidence in face-to-face fundraising activity”.

It comes nine months after they released a statement, alongside the Institute of Fundraising, which outlined the FRSB as the single public-facing regulatory body with the PFRA focused instead on distribution and enforcement.

Speaking to civilsociety.co.uk, Ian Macquillin, head of communications at the PFRA, clarified that while the statement in September 2012 was a broad explanation of the two bodies’ respective roles, this MOU gives a detailed practical look at what will happen in a range of circumstances.

“We certainly haven’t created it because the PFRA has been getting more complaints – far from it,"  said MacQuillin. "In fact, we’ve seen the number steadily decrease.

“We have been working on this memorandum for several months, stretching back earlier than the September statement.”

MacQuillin revealed that a similar document with the Institute "is being discussed”.

The FRSB’s Lucinda Frostick said: “There are quite a few practical processes about complaints and how they might come through to both ourselves and the PFRA.

“For example, they get a lot of calls from local authorities about their site management agreements, and it’s absolutely right and proper that they deal with those.

“Sometimes it can be a bit of a fuzzy line about what a complaint is and isn’t. So we’re really pleased we can now be totally clear how each organisation is working to make sure there is a comprehensive self-regulatory scheme that ensures no overlap.”

Frostick added that the FRSB is currently working on developing its MOU with the Charity Commission and would like to develop an MOU with the Institute. 

FRSB and PFRA's Memorandum of Understanding can be read in full on the latter's website here.

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