31st March 2008
Chuggers face ‘awkward’ new rules
Face-to-face charity fundraising on the UK’s high streets will take on a new tone from 1 April, as new laws come into force.
Rules contained in the new Charities Act mean that professional fundraisers will have to declare how much they are paid before they can solicit for donations.
The changes, which also affect phone and door-to-door activities, could mean that so-called 'chugging' ('charity mugging') becomes a less effective fundraising option.
Face-to-face fundraising, whereby members of the public are approached and asked to make a regular donation to a charity or campaign organisation, was introduced in the UK over 10 years ago. It is usually carried out by employees working for an agency, which is in turn commissioned by the charity that aims to recruit new donors.
Reacting to the new rules when they were announced in February, Lindsay Boswell of the Institute of Fundraising said that they could hit those charities that use agencies because they do not have a strong pool of volunteers to fundraise on their behalf.
"Its overall intention of greater openness and transparency is strongly welcomed and an important objective, but the cumbersome nature of the actual declaration that is required to be made by a professional fundraiser completely flies in the face of this objective", she said.
However, a decrease in chugging would be welcomed by some retailers, who have in the past expressed dismay over the effects they say the practice has on customer footfall.
Rules contained in the new Charities Act mean that professional fundraisers will have to declare how much they are paid before they can solicit for donations.
The changes, which also affect phone and door-to-door activities, could mean that so-called 'chugging' ('charity mugging') becomes a less effective fundraising option.
Face-to-face fundraising, whereby members of the public are approached and asked to make a regular donation to a charity or campaign organisation, was introduced in the UK over 10 years ago. It is usually carried out by employees working for an agency, which is in turn commissioned by the charity that aims to recruit new donors.
Reacting to the new rules when they were announced in February, Lindsay Boswell of the Institute of Fundraising said that they could hit those charities that use agencies because they do not have a strong pool of volunteers to fundraise on their behalf.
"Its overall intention of greater openness and transparency is strongly welcomed and an important objective, but the cumbersome nature of the actual declaration that is required to be made by a professional fundraiser completely flies in the face of this objective", she said.
However, a decrease in chugging would be welcomed by some retailers, who have in the past expressed dismay over the effects they say the practice has on customer footfall.
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