Proposals for the Fundraising Preference Service must be more "thoroughly reviewed and assessed" in order to address fundraisers' "ongoing concerns" about the process, the Institute of Fundraising has said.
The IoF questioned whether the month-long 'conversation' was sufficient to assess the FPS. It said the Fundraising Preference Service “must be thoroughly review and assessed” as, since it was first proposed, “a number of significant changes" have been made.
On 2 March, the FPS Working Group published its key proposals and invited the sector to engage in an open consultation process. It also held a series of “round tables and evidence sessions” with sector representatives throughout the month. The consultation closed yesterday.
“Since the recommendation for establishing an FPS was made, a number of significant changes have occurred: the Code of Fundraising Practice has been strengthened to give donors more control and protect vulnerable people, and forthcoming legislative changes will require ‘unambiguous’ consent to contact supporters," the response says.
“Within this context, full consultation and assessment on the impact of introduction of an FPS for the UK charitable sector is needed alongside due consideration of whether, given the wider changes, it provides a proportionate, needed and necessary service that is of value to people.
"The FPS must work towards improving individual’s relationship and trust with the charity sector - regular and transparent reviews must be planned to ensure it achieves this objective while avoiding unintended consequences.”
Daniel Fluskey, head of policy and research at the IoF, told Civil Society News that while the membership body “welcomed elements of the Working Group’s proposals”, its members still have concerns about the ‘reset button’ element of the FPS.
“If you have an FPS, it has to be able to embed donor choice and strike an appropriate balance,” he said. “Specific consent is the highest benchmark.”
Fluskey also said that the Working Group’s proposals are “still quite conceptual,” and re-iterated that the IoF has called on Kidd and the Working Group to continue “the conversation about the proposals” with the sector to truly identify what potential benefits and problems the FPS will bring in practice.
George Kidd, chair of the Working Group on the FPS, told Civil Society News that the consultation was: “by way of a conversation to help the Working Group, not a formal consultation. Various elements are ongoing, but I hope people feel that we are listening. That is a process that will not stop”.
He also confirmed that the group had received over 150 written consultation submissions and had met with between 60 and 70 charities.
