The Public Fundraising Association has confirmed that it is in “the process of suspending” from membership street fundraising agency Neet Feet, after a number of allegations of unethical fundraising were made about it by the Sun.
In a statement, a PFRA spokesman told Civil Society News, that Neet Feet will be referred to the PFRA standards board immediately after the allegations appeared in the Sun.
The board will then “consider a suspension and possible expulsion from the PFRA” of the agency. He said that the board’s decision will also “depend on the Fundraising Regulator’s investigation and findings”.
The spokesman also said that: “the behaviours and practices exposed in the media today have no place in charity fundraising and are not representative of the incredible work ordinary and honest fundraisers do every day”.
The PFRA officially handed over ownership of its rule book on street and door-to-door fundraising to the Fundraising Regulator at its launch on Thursday.
It is also currently waiting for “legal due diligence” to be completed before it can finalise its proposed merger with the Institute of Fundraising.
Neet Feet is a door-to-door fundraising agency which also does private site and recruitment for telephone fundraising. It was incorporated on January 2013.
According to the PFRA, Neet Feet became a member of the organisation in 2013.
According to Companies House, its head offices are registered in North London, although it was originally based in Bristol, where the majority of the behaviour alleged in the Sun were made.
The article, which appeared in the Sun today, alleged that senior fundraising staff at Neet Feet deliberately targeted elderly and vulnerable people, as well as those too young to register and sign up to donate. It also alleged a culture within the organisation of illicit drug taking and dealing.
In a statement released earlier, Neet Feet's directors apologised "for any distress which has been caused following these allegations".
They also promised a "full investigation" into the incidents documented.
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