Fundraising regulation: make sure your voice is heard

You don't need us to tell you that charities are having a tough time of it.

It seems a long time ago that the tragic death of Olive Cooke was first reported. Rightly or wrongly, this was quickly linked with charities and triggered unprecedented scrutiny and criticism of fundraising methods, particularly towards vulnerable supporters.

As a result, we've all had to face difficult questions, many of them justified. Sir Stuart Etherington led a review of fundraising regulation in consultation with the UK's 50 largest charities based on fundraising income.

This decision to only seek the views of the largest charities has been heavily criticised. The changing public perception of charities and potential new regulation will undoubtedly affect us all, and small charities have their own views and challenges. To maintain a healthy sector, it's vital that everybody's voice is heard.

Fortunately, the Small Charities Coalition and the Institute of Fundraising have given every small charity the opportunity to complete a 10-minute survey to share their views, and will be holding an open forum on fundraising regulation on 4 February.

We can't emphasise enough how important it is to make your voice heard. Fundraising reform will be fairer and more effective if it's done with smaller charities in mind too. The survey closes on Friday (15 January) so please take a look before then.

Complete the survey now