Fundraising Standards Board Complaints Process for Charities
What are your obligations?
If you become a member of the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) self-regulatory scheme you will need to:
- Nominate a complaints co-ordinator
- Promote the Fundraising Promise wherever practical
- Include the Fundraising Standards Board scheme logo on your fundraising materials (unless it is impractical to do so) and, where practical, the scheme strapline
- State your complaints procedure in writing and/or on your website (if you have one) with an explanation of how a complaint can be made
- Abide by the Insitute of Fundraising's Codes of Fundraising Practice & the FRSB Fundraising Promise when fundraising
- Endeavour to resolve fundraising complaints as promptly and as amicably as possible
- Keep a record of all fundraising complaints
- Make sure that your staff engaged with or supporting your fundraising understand your complaints procedure
- In your annual review acknowledge your scheme membership, and, where practical, display the scheme logo and the website address of the Fundraising Standards Board
- Complete and file with us an annual return about the number and nature of any fundraising complaints received within the period covered by the return
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What if you don't have an internal complaints process?
As a scheme member we will supply you with a generic fundraising complaints process. This can be found on the members area of our website. Please note; this is intended to be a guide only - you should adapt it so suit your organisation.
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What should your complaints process include?
Your complaints process should identify how a complaint can be made
It requires your complaints co-ordinator to keep a complaints record containing the items below. If a complaint is received by us at stage two of the complaints process, we will ask the member charity for this information:
- A copy of the complaint
- Details of the Code or section of the Fundraising Promise it is alleged has been breached [Note 1]
- The date on which the complaint was received
- A copy of all the communications with the complainant in connection with the complaint
- Details of the investigation undertaken into the complaint
[Note 1: Complaints should be reported and referred to us if they are about a potential breach of any aspect ('must', 'ought' or 'should') of a Code of Fundraising Practice]
It requires your complaints officer to acknowledge in writing a complaint about fundraising within 14 days of receipt of the complaint.
You will also be required to advise the complainant of the outcome of the investigation within 30 days of receipt of the complaint. In addition, if they are dissatisfied with the outcome of your investigation, you will be required to give them the opportunity to refer the complaint to us within two months of your response.
If a member of the public asks how to make a complaint regarding your fundraising activities, you are also obliged to provide them with a copy of your complaints procedure and the Fundraising Promise or, if they have access to the internet, with details of your website. All of this must be done within 14 days.
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How do we define a complaint?
In order to be clear about which complaints we will investigate (at Stage’s 2 & 3 of the Fundraising Standards Board Complaints Process) we have provided the following definition:
The Fundraising Standards Board will investigate all complaints that are concerned with a potential breach of the Institute of Fundraising’s Codes of Fundraising Practice or a breach of the Fundraising Promise, provided that the complainant has first directed the complaint to the charity concerned but is not satisfied with the answer received.
We will NOT deal with complaints that are not about good practice in fundraising. For instance:
- Complaints about the services a charity provides
- Administration and staff costs
- Administration or processing errors
- Retail issues
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How does the complaints process work?
Stage 1: The member charity attempts to reach a resolution
The complaint is received by the member charity and they attempt to reach a resolution. This can include the complaint being escalated to different members of staff within the charity if necessary, as per their internal complaints procedure. If we receive a complaint at this Stage, (ie.before the complaint has been through the charity's internal complaints procedure), we will refer the complaint back to the charity.
Stage 2: The Fundraising Standards Board seeks a resolution
The complaint has been through the charity's internal complaints procedure and the complainant is still dissatisfied and requires a further response. The complainant has contacted us within a two month time period after receiving the response from the charity. Once we have received the complaint, we will contact the member charity concerned to let them know and to get background information about the complaint (please see 'What should my complaints process include?' above). We will investigate the complaint and seek a resolution with all parties concerned within 30 days. If the complainant is still not satisfied, they can seek adjudication by the FRSB Board (Stage 3 below).
Stage 3: The FRSB Board upholds or rejects a complaint
The complaint is referred to the FRSB Board for adjudication. They will review the complaint and report their conclusion within 60 days. The Board has the discretion to specify that either no further action is appropriate or to censure the charity and prescribe one or more sanctions.
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How do we judge complaints?
Our role is to ensure that charities and fundraisers are adhering to the Institute of Fundraising's Codes of Fundraising Practice and the Fundraising Promise. This means that we will only be able to uphold a complaint if it is about breach of a 'must' or 'ought' regulation contained in the Institute's Codes, or if it is a breach of the Fundraising Promise. In particular, 'must' indicates a requirement that is mandatory at law and 'ought' indicates a requirement that is mandatory within the Institute of Fundraising's Codes of Fundraising Practice, and therefore for all members of the Fundraising Standards Board scheme.
The word 'should' used in the Institute's Codes indicates a course of action that is recommended as best practice, therefore we will not legislate based on these guidelines, unless there are exceptional circumstances. However, it is still important for charities to report and refer complaints to us that are about a breach of a 'should' guideline in a Code, so that we can monitor the effectiveness of them. For instance, if we receive a high volume of complaints about a breach of a certain 'should' guideline, we will advise the Institute of Fundraising of the situation, so that they can evaluate whether any changes or additions to the Codes are necessary.
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What can happen if the complaint is upheld?
If a complaint against you is upheld by the FRSB Board, they will have the discretion to specify either that no further action is appropriate, or to censure you and to prescribe one or more of the following sanctions:
- You should apologise to the complainant
- You should modify/improve your training systems or procedures to minimise the chance of a similar complaint reocurring
In more serious cases, or in the case of repeated complaints:
- You should desist from using the fundraising method or the conduct that was the subject of the complaint
- You should withdraw and/or reprint any fundraising materials that were the subject of the complaint
In the most serious cases, or in cases where, despite being asked to do so, you have failed to desist from an unacceptable practice or take remedial action, your membership of the scheme will be withdrawn.
For more detailed information, you can download the charity complaints process in pdf format.
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