By Kevin Peachey
Personal finance and consumer affairs reporter, BBC News |
  Charity fundraisers took to the streets in 1997 |
The irony will not be lost on any shopper in the UK - you just can't find a charity fundraiser when you need one. The street fundraisers, dressed in bibs and with clipboard in hand, have become such a common sight that it seems you can't walk down a High Street in the UK without being approached by one. But last week, when I was keen to talk to them about changing laws of face-to-face fundraising, the pavements of London seemed to have emptied of these young, enthusiastic workers. Perhaps it was the inclement weather. Assuming they are back on the streets this week, these professional fundraisers are going to have to be much clearer about how much of every donation goes to charity. New laws Under the Charities Act of 1992, professional fundraisers have had to say who they were collecting for, and what financial commitments people were signing up to. But changes under the new Charities Act mean that from 1 April professional fundraisers must say up front to potential donors how much of each donation will go to charity, and what proportion goes to their own wages. "People have a right to know how much of what they give will actually go to charity," said Phil Hope, the government minister who oversees the voluntary sector. "Professional fundraising is a legitimate and very effective way to raise money for the charities that do a huge amount to tackle poverty and injustice in our world. "This will ensure that they can operate with full transparency, which will help maintain high levels of public trust in charities." The new law affects street, telephone and door-to-door collectors. Shops that donate part of a item's sale price to charity must also state exactly to what extent the charity will benefit. So any professional fundraiser that engages you in conversation in the street should follow something close to this suggested script. "I am a paid fundraiser working on behalf of a charity called X. I am being paid an hourly rate of �X per hour. In all I expect to be paid approximately �X for carrying out this programme of conversations with supporters like yourself throughout the UK across the whole of the year." 'Charity muggers' Professional street fundraisers have provoked a lot of debate since the concept arrived in the UK from the continent in 1997.  |  Chugging did not work for us, and people did not like it |
The perception that shoppers were collared and bullied into signing up to regular direct debit payments to a charity earned them the name of "chuggers" - charity muggers. One high-profile charity, Oxfam, decided to stop using this form of fundraising about four years ago, although its representatives are still on the streets trying to sign up people to support their campaigns by signing petitions and the like. "Chugging did not work for us, and people did not like it," said the charity's spokesman. Professional agencies do provide staff for street fundraising, but a number of charities have taken their operations in-house. Anti-poverty campaigners Concern were last week advertising for professional fundraisers to work for at least 28 hours a week in London and southern England at a starting rate of �8.90 an hour. Regulation The Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (PFRA) said that 600,000 people signed up to charitable donations on the street and door-to-door in 2003, which was worth �210m over five years.  Fundraisers can be paid around �8 an hour |
The Gift Aid scheme, which allows charities to reclaim the tax paid on one-off donations, has also boosted their coffers. Every �1 donated is actually worth �1.28 to charities. A recent mystery shopping exercise, commissioned by the PFRA, found that out of 300 approaches by 31 different charities, 296 were described as "friendly and courteous". PFRA chief executive Mick Aldridge welcomed the guidance offered to fundraisers as the law changes. The government has claimed the 2006 Act is the biggest shake-up in charity law in four centuries. A voluntary complaints scheme, run by the Fundraising Standards Board, has also been set up. In its first adjudication in January it cleared Cancer Research of any wrongdoing after a member of the public complained about the number of speculative mailshots pushed through their letterbox. The Board will publish its annual review soon, by which time the new fundraising rules will be in full swing.
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