Charities could be banned from cold-calling under new rules

However, an SCVO review of the way charities operate said a shake-up of the way some of its members raise cash was needed due to practices “unpopular with the public” such as the use of squads of face-to-face fundraisers, sometimes referred to as “chuggers” or “charity muggers”.

The new Fundraising Preference service would allow individuals to add their name to a “suppression list” so charities have a clear indication of who does not wish to be contacted.

Charities which break the rules should also be named and shamed, according to the recommendations of a government-commissioned review, which follows a series of high-profile reports of aggressive tactics employed by some charities.

He added: “We have to make sure that we restore public confidence in charity”.

The panel recommends that the new regulator, provisionally entitled The Fundraising Regulator, reports to parliament’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee on a regular basis to ensure parliament has an opportunity to scrutinise its work on the public’s behalf. “Now we want to see charities and other third sector organisations come together to find the answers to these challenges, and to set out a much more rigorous approach to self-regulation which everyone can trust”. In response, the government asked Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council of Voluntary Organisations, to lead a review into the current self-regulation model.

The FRSB argued that a “revamped FRSB, properly resourced, would be the most viable and cost-effective way of moving forward”. His claims are now being investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office.

The review also called for the creation of a new “fundraising preference service” enabling people to opt out of receiving fundraising letters and phone calls from multiple charities without having to contact each one individually.

It says it is clear that charities and those working within them have the best intentions, but “unfortunately, good intentions are not always enough to avoid bad outcomes”.

It would be their responsibility to ensure fundraising was carried out in compliance with the law.

The review heard from members of the public who were “frustrated about the lack of control” over how many times they were contacted with fundraising requests. “This has been a clear wake-up call and now is the time to tighten the standards”. “The charities need to do more farming and less hunting”. They should ensure that the agency adheres to the charity’s values and ethos, has no negative impact on the charity’s reputation or does not cause donors to feel they are being unduly pressured into giving. He says: “Alzheimer’s Society welcomes Sir Stuart Etherington’s Commission review for tighter regulation of charities, to protect vulnerable people in society, including those with dementia”.

The SCVO report said: “Media coverage and the complaints data suggests the problem is more prevalent in large United Kingdom charities than Scottish charities raising funds exclusively in Scotland”.