Advice & Regulation
Complaints Co-ordinator - An Overview
Having somebody designated as your complaints co-ordinator is a key requirement of FRSB membership. While every FRSB member will have different levels of staffing and resources available to them, the information below lays out the main responsibilities of the complaints co-ordinator role.
If you need further help or advice, please get in touch with us by calling 0845 4025442 or emailing us at membership@frsb.org.uk.
What’s the point in having a Complaints Co-ordinator?
- The role provides a main point of contact for both staff and/or volunteers dealing with complaints/supporters and members of the public wanting to give feedback about your fundraising.
- It means there is a designated expert complaint handler overseeing your entire complaints process.
- It shows the public that you take complaints seriously and that the responses you provide will be managed and co-ordinated by ONE individual (this conveys a more personal approach to complaint handling).
Key Tasks
To be the first point of contact for the FRSB. This includes providing us with information on request if we receive a complaint about your fundraising.
The FRSB operates a 3 Stage complaints process and expects its members to adhere to this:
- STAGE 1 - You try to resolve the complaint without our input
- STAGE 2 - If you can’t, we will try and resolve it through mediation.
- STAGE 3 – If we can’t, it will be considered by the FRSB board.
If we receive a complaint that hasn’t yet been dealt with by your organisation, we will forward it back to you. We will only become actively involved if your organisation is unable to resolve it (ie Stage 2 of our process).
To co-ordinate and complete the FRSB Member Annual Complaints Return each and every year.
At the start of each calendar year, you will be asked to complete and file an Annual Complaints Return that covers both the number of complaints you have received and the volume of fundraising activity you have carried out.
What period does the Annual Complaints Return cover?
You need to provide the figures that cover an entire calendar year (eg. 1st January – 31st of December)
What is the point of filling in the Annual Complaints Return?
It shows that your organisation is open and transparent about its fundraising. This can only help to build stronger donor relations!
It helps you to assess the effectiveness of your fundraising activities throughout the year.
It gives you the chance to formulate an annual log which you can use internally for monitoring and quality assurance purposes.
By all our members completing a return, we are able to identify potential sector wide issues and address best practice standards accordingly.
What complaints are the FRSB interested in?
We want you to tell us about every fundraising complaint you have received during the year; regardless of whether not they’ve been resolved or whether or not they were justified.
If you can’t resolve the complaint using your own procedures (Stage 1), give the complainant our contact details so they can refer their concerns to us if they wish. If it is referred to us, we will ask you for all details relating to the complaint so that we can carry out a full and balanced assessment of the case. Our aim is always to resolve the issue amicably.
What happens if we haven’t had any complaints? Do I still need to give provide volume figures?
Ideally, yes. This is because volume figures help us to put your zero complaint figures into context.
Your fundraising activity figures will help us to gain a better understanding of how much fundraising has taken place across the sector over the year.
We can then compare the total volume figures against the number of complaints received about the sector. This helps us to gain more understanding about potential “problem” areas and issue appropriate guidance if necessary.
To be the main complaints record keeper (this may also include managing and developing your organisation’s complaint logging procedures, depending on the size and scope of your organisation).
The FRSB would like you to keep a record of ALL fundraising-related complaints you receive.
What is a fundraising complaint?
British Standards (BS8600) define a complaint as “an expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not”. A fundraising complaint is therefore an expression of dissatisfaction about any aspect of your fundraising activities.
What details need to be recorded?
- A copy of the complaint (it doesn’t matter whether you keep an electronic or hard copy).
- The method of fundraising complained about. To make these easier to define, you may want to consult the glossary on our Annual Return template.
- The date that the complaint was received
- Details of the investigation into the complaint
- A copy of ALL communications related to the complaint.
- If possible, the specific campaign the complaint relates to. It may also help you to categorise the complaint ie. a complaint about a direct mail piece that was about the specific language or imagery used in an appeal.
How long do we need to keep a complaint for?
We recommend that that you keep all complaints for one 1 year from the date of receipt.
To be one of the key people to publicise your organisation’s complaints procedure both to staff, volunteers and members of the public.
Make sure that you have a written complaints procedure that complies with the FRSB scheme (see FRSB complaints manual for more details).
The procedure needs to be posted on your website (if you have one)
It needs to be easy to find and accessible for every member of the public wishing to give feedback about your fundraising.
Make any departments, staff and/or volunteers dealing with supporters in any capacity aware of the procedure. This is in case a contact turns into a complaint.
If applicable, make everyone in the organisation aware of its FRSB membership and tell them that you are the main point of contact.
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