Fundraising

 

The fundraising landscape in the UK can be complex. Fundraising regulation is a mix of statutory and non-statutory rules and involves different regulators depending on

The Code of Fundraising Practice and its associated rule books for street and door fundraising outline the standards expected of all charitable fundraising across the UK. The Fundraising Regulator has responsibility for the Code and the rule books.

Individual charities are the first point of call for any complaints about fundraising practices. Where a charity is unable to resolve the complaint, the complainant can escalate it to one of the following:

• In Scotland, it is Scottish Fundraising Standards Panel.
• In England and Wales and Northern Ireland it is the Fundraising Regulator.  

Charity law in Scotland does, however, set out certain requirements for fundraising activity. These requirements are explained in more detail in our guidance.

There are additional legal requirements in England and Wales, for information see CCEWs guidance.  

 

Licenses for public benevolent collections

Issuing licenses for public benevolent collections – that is, collections in public places – continues to be the responsibility of local authorities in Scotland. There is no proposal for OSCR to license individual operators. In England and Wales, local authorities outside London are responsible for granting collection licences in their area. In London, licences are granted by the Metropolitan police or City of London Corporation Licensing Service – depending on the location of the collection.

See Chapter 16 of the Fundraising Code - public collections for more information.