Fundraising Regulator confirms charity fundraising plans

Set to launch in summer 2017, the Fundraising Preference Service (FPS) is a direct response to the recommendations and findings of a government-led review carried out by Sir Stuart Etherington.

An internet-based service, the aim of FPS is to provide a user-friendly and simple way for the public to manage their contact with charities. The service will allow members of the public to control the fundraising communications they receive.

Charities will be required to increase their compliance by seeking consent from donors and supporters who their wish to contact on a regular basis. An opt-out option will be compulsory across the board and will have to be implemented across all forms of communication with a named individual, including addressed mail, email, text and telephone. Individuals will be able to select charities they no longer wish to receive any communication from. The FPS will monitor this compliance closely and notify the charity in question. A telephone service will also be in place to support those who are vulnerable or without access to a computer.

A levy will cover the costs of the FPS and will apply to approximately 2,100 charities spending £100,000 a year or more on fundraising who will automatically be required to sign up to the service. There will be no barrier to smaller charities signing up.

The full print impact of the FPS is yet to be seen but a number of industry figures are suggesting printers could indeed see their charity mailing volumes sky rocket, rather than fall.

Senior Account Manager at Snap, Sophie Hepton said, “This customer- centric approach to direct marketing is certainly a move in the right direction. It gives consumers control over the marketing they receive from charities without creating a barrier against the great work they do day in day out”.