The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations has launched its informal review into Scottish fundraising, to determine whether self-regulation in the sector is effective.
The review, which will run alongside the similar investigation by the NVCO in England and Wales, is centred on whether the system in Scotland of self-regulated charity fundraising is working enough to ensure the support and trust of the Scottish government and public.
The main questions the review will be trying to answer are:
- Can the Scottish public, Scottish government and Scottish Parliament have confidence that the current system of self-regulation is working and if not how can it be strengthened in Scotland?
- What reasonable steps can we recommend to strengthen public trust, taking proper steps to root out bad practice and provide a transparent charity fundraising environment in Scotland?
- Is there a framework with robust governance, clear standards and good operating practice which protects the public, allows charities to fundraise effectively but hits bad practice hard?
The SCVO will work with the Scottish Government, OSCR and Institute of Fundraising Scotland, with further support from the NCVO and FRSB in order to review current practices.
The investigation will be led by a reference group chaired by Paul Brown, SCVO policy committee member. The panel will also include Billy Watson, chief executive of SAMH, Fiona Duncan, chief executive of Lyod’s TSB Foundation, John Brady, director of fundraising at St Andrew's Hospice and others.
The review will rely on sources including reviews of the current codes of fundraising practices, conducting eight one-to-one interviews, gathering opinions through the official channels Scottish citizens have to register complaints.
The SCVO previously announced it would be launching its review on 14 July, after the Scottish government called upon it to do so. If the review finds that the system of self-regulation is inadequate then it will propose recommendations for improvements.
Fraser Hudghton, national manager of the Institute of Fundraising Scotland said: “The structure of the self-regulatory system in Scotland and enforcement of fundraising rules are key areas for our profession to do some serious thinking.
"As a sector we also need to ensure maximum transparency around charity fundraising in Scotland and better communicate with the public about who oversees best practice”.
David Robb, chief executive of OSCR, said: “Fundraising is a key contact between charities and the public. As Scotland’s charity regulator, our interest is in ensuring the continued trust and support of the public for charities and their work.
"We welcome the opportunity to contribute to the informal review and to continue working with other organisations and the charity sector to reinforce transparency and confidence”.
From August 3, a survey will be available to ensure the wider sector is able to contribute to the review. The panel will then report back with its findings at the end of August.
