Scotland is likely to have its own system of fundraising regulation which will not include a Fundraising Preference Service, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations has said.
In a blog written last week, John Downie, director of public affairs, said that the “very autonomy” of the Scottish charity sector is threatened by “the distant drones of Westminster”.
He claimed that SCVO has secured support for a separate system of regulation from the Scottish government and OSCR, the Scottish charity regulator.
Downie was reacting to the announcement that Lord Michael Grade had been appointed head of the Fundraising Regulator, a new body which will govern fundraising in England and Wales, implementing recommendations put forward by NCVO.
That system includes a Fundraising Preference Service, which would allow donors to register to permanently not receive any contact from charities.
SCVO has recommended a light-touch system of regulation which will not include an FPS. It is not clear how it envisages FPS rules might apply to Scottish charities fundraising in England, or dual-registered charities employing fundraisers based north of the border.
Downie said it was “crunch time” for the Scottish charity sector when it comes to fundraising self-regulation in the country, and said it was an issue of “us or them”.
“The real question is: are charities in Scotland happy to let the distant drones of Westminster decide on how fundraising should be regulated, or are we going to do it for ourselves," he said.
“Because let’s be clear – these are the stakes. Our very autonomy is at risk. This is about as serious as it gets.
“So, who’s it going to be? Us or them?”
Downie also said that the Fundraising Preference Service had been “slyly inserted into the NCVO report” by the Cabinet Office and called it a “dog’s breakfast”.
In his blog, Downie claimed that the Scottish government and OSCR, the Scottish charity regulator, all supported the recommendations of SCVO’s review of fundraising self-regulation over the UK-wide recommendations of Sir Stuart Etherington that have been wholly endorsed by the Cabinet Office.
The SCVO review recommended that Scotland required a different regulatory approach when it came to fundraising, compared to that of the rest of the UK. SCVO said fundraising was “undertaken on a smaller scale” in Scotland than it was in England and thus any reforms to the system should be led by the charities themselves.
The review also said that, due to a “more close knit fundraising community in Scotland”, fundraising in the country was done with a “more donor-focussed ethos that those operating large fundraising programmes across the UK”.
The informal review said that it did not see a need for an independent fundraising regulator in Scotland as that would “simply add another dimension” to compliance work.
A spokesman from OSCR said that the regulator is indeed "on board" with the SCVO's recommendations.
It also said that it "welcomed both publications" and looked forward to "playing our part in the development of a new framework that reflects the needs and concerns of the public and charities, in Scotland as well as in the rest of the UK.
Alex Neil, social justice secretary said: “The Scottish Government appreciates the SCVO’s fundraising review and their involvement in this issue.
"Its fundraising summit will provide an opportunity for the charity sector in Scotland to have a debate and discussion on the options for strengthening the regulation of charity fundraising in Scotland.
“We want to make sure no-one can prey on the most vulnerable people in our society and welcome SCVO and OSCR’s agreement to work together to fully consider the findings of both the SCVO and Etherington reviews and develop a solution that is best for the people of Scotland.”
Ian MacQuillin, director of Rogare, is set to speak at a fundraising summit of Scottish charities in Edinburgh on Thursday. He said that his speech will be “strongly based” on Downie’s blog and urged Scottish charities to “absolutely stick to its guns about this”.
