Promoting best practice in fundraising

NICVA promotes best practice and excellence in the sector and regularly provides information and support to help organisations. In Northern Ireland fundraising is largely a self-regulated activity and we encourage the use of the Code of Fundraising Practice.

The Code of Fundraising Practice

All charities, regardless of income, carrying out any type of fundraising should comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice – the standards for fundraising. These standards are set and regulated by the Fundraising Regulator (FR) through the Code of Fundraising Practice which is free to access and is available on the Fundraising Regulator’s website Code of Fundraising Practice

The Code sets out the legal requirements and best practice for different types of fundraising as well as the responsibilities that apply to fundraising carried out by charitable institutions and third-party fundraisers in the UK.

The code aims to:

• promote a consistent, high standard of fundraising;
• make sure charitable institutions, their governing bodies and fundraisers know what is expected of them;
• set out the standards we use when considering complaints;
• provide a benchmark for organisations and fundraisers to assess their practices against so they can identify necessary training and monitor and set policy priorities for their fundraising; and
• develop a culture of honesty, openness and respect between fundraisers and the public.

The following four values underpin all standards in the code:

• Legal: All fundraising must meet the requirements of the law.
• Open: Fundraisers must be open with the public about their processes and must be willing to explain (where appropriate) if they are asked for more information.
• Honest: Fundraisers must act with integrity and must not mislead the public about the cause they are fundraising for or the way a donation will be used.
• Respectful: Fundraisers must demonstrate respect whenever they have contact with any member of the public.

Registration with FR

Registration with the Fundraising Regulator is voluntary. However, there is an expectation that if your charity spends £100k or more on fundraising you would register with them as a matter of good practice. Registration is also open to all charities regardless of income level and incurs an annual fee based on fundraising expenditure. See here for more details on registration.

The Fundraising Regulator’s badge is one way charities choose to display to the public that their fundraising aims to meet these standards for fundraising.

Meet the Fundraising Regulator

If you would like to find out more about The Code of Fundraising Practice and the work of the Fundraising Regulator please come along to our event on 14 September at 10.30am in NICVA.  You will have the opportunity to find out about the guidance they provide and how they can support you. It is also a chance to hear about their upcoming review of the Code of Fundraising Practice. You can register here