Britain’s biggest charities will soon have to publicly declare their fundraising methods, to ensure they are targeting people fairly.
To combat the action of aggressive fundraisers, Prime Minister David Cameron announced a new law that will require British charities to create a written agreement detailing how they protect vulnerable donors. This is designed to prevent the elderly or those with Alzheimer’s Disease from receiving fundraising calls, texts or letters. The largest charities – those with incomes of more than £1 million – will also be forced to reveal all of their fundraising methods.
The measures were outlined after Cameron declared that the unscrupulous actions of a few charities were “damaging the reputation of the sector as a whole.”
These new rules are to be added to the Charities Bill that is currently going through Parliament. They have been welcomed by Oxfam, the NSPCC, Save the Children and the Salvation Army, among others. Whilst charities said they expect some cost to be incurred as a result of the legislation, it would work out better in the long term to instil confidence in the industry and keep donors giving money.
Cameron told standard.co.uk: “Our charities undertake vital work, bringing communities together and providing support to some of the most vulnerable members of our society.
“But the conduct of some fundraisers used by them is frankly unacceptable. Which is why we’re introducing a new law to make sure charities raise funds in the right sort of way.”
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