The Fundraising Regulator has confirmed that it is discussing the proposed system for the Fundraising Preference Service with supporters of Age UK and Alzheimer’s Society.
The spokesman confirmed that the regulator had been working closely with both charities because: “One very important aspect of the FPS is to make sure that vulnerable people can be signed up or sign up themselves. Through them we have also been able to get views about the FPS from some of their individual members”.
He also said that, throughout the eight weeks of its ‘Have Your Say’ survey, the regulator “carried out testing of parts of the system”, and thanked those who took part.
A source told Civil Society News however that physical testing of the system had not yet started, as those externally testing Syrenis’ system had yet to be issued with log-in instructions. The source said that testers had been told last week that “we are no-longer getting scenarios” to test on the system, but instead have been invited to simply “go in and poke around”.
The source, who works in the charity sector, confirmed to Civil Society News that the regulator was “working with Age UK and Alzheimer’s Society on public testing, as the regulator considers their supporters to be the most important groups” of people.
Sector stakeholders will then be invited to effectively “work with the results” of the external testing on elderly and vulnerable people.
According to notes published on its website, board members for the Fundraising Regulator “received a presentation on the Fundraising Preference Service that include[d] the first draft of the public facing screens,” at a meeting on 21 March 2017.
A timetable was also drawn up “for the tender process for the call centre that will support people who are unable to access the web version” of the FPS. The regulator negelcted to share the timetable, nor confirm whether the call centre would be in place for the scheduled July launch of the FPS, despite a request from Civil Society.
Over 1,100 responses from charity and public to ‘Have Your Say’ surveys
The Fundraising Regulator has said that over 1,100 “representatives from charities and the public” took part in at least one of its ‘Have Your Say’ surveys, which ran over eight weeks between 12 March and the 12 May.
According to figures published last week by the regulator, 1,133 representatives from charities and the public took part in the surveys. One of the key surveys as part of ‘Have Your Say’ was on the proposed name of the Fundraising Preference Service, and whether it should be changed.
In Fundraising Magazine
The survey figures showed that 38 per cent of respondents opted to remain with the name Fundraising Preference Service, narrowly winning out over the 37 per cent who opted for the ‘Charity Contact Service’.
A spokesman for the regulator said that around 900 people working in the charity sector and a further 200 members of the public registered to take part in the 'Have Your Say' survey.
The FPS is set to go live in “early July”, but an actual date has yet to be confirmed by either the Fundraising Regulator or Syrenis.
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