Stop unwanted charity communications, using this free service
1st Jan 2015 Technology
Do you want charities to stop contacting you or someone you care about, but don't know where to start?
Britain is one of the most generous nations in the world. 61% of the British public recently said that they have made a donation or bought something from a charity and the UK’s charity sector is well-supported as a result.
Supporting a favourite charity is a way of giving back. We get a sense of satisfaction from knowing that we are contributing to the greater good by supporting a cause we care about.
Many charities appeal directly to individuals for money to support their cause. But some charities put too much pressure on individuals to give. Excessive communications from charities asking for donations can be overwhelming, particularly for people in vulnerable circumstances.
The Fundraising Regulator
The Fundraising Regulator was set up in 2016 to make sure that charities are held accountable to high fundraising standards. We receive around 80 complaints from members of the public each month. Many of these complainants receive a high number of unsolicited requests to donate from organisations, some of which they may never have heard of before.
While charities have started reviewing the way they approach potential donors and are making a lot of important and welcome changes, the government has supported the development of a service that puts control back in the hands of the public; a service that is easy to use and protects the most vulnerable individuals.
The Fundraising Preference Service
In July 2017 the Fundraising Regulator launched the Fundraising Preference Service which has already helped thousands of individuals limit the communications they receive from charities.
The Fundraising Preference Service is a suppression service supported by charities which ensures you only receive communications from the fundraising organisations you wish to support. Over 3,000 individuals have used the free service to prevent one or more charities from getting in touch with them where they do not wish to hear from them.
You may wish to use the FPS for yourself or someone you care for when:
- Communications from charities are becoming stressful and uncomfortable.
- There is a need to efficiently deal with communications from multiple charitable organisations.
- There is a lack of clarity over how to stop communications from a particular charity. Those in vulnerable circumstances can allow another person to act on their behalf to suppress contact from specific charities. Up until now around 20% of suppressions have been made on behalf of another person.
While the service stops communications sent to you directly, it does not stop unaddressed mail, fundraising in the street or at your front door. If you want to prevent a charity calling at your front door, the best way to do that is to put up a ‘no cold calling’ notice.
We all want to help our favourite causes. The Fundraising Preference Service ensures you only hear from those you wish to support.
More information on the Fundraising Preference Service can be found on the Fundraising Regulator’s website: www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk
The service can be used online at www.fundraisingpreference.org.uk or by phone on 0300 3033 517
Enquiries can be sent to fps@fundraisingregulator.org.uk or on 0300 999 3407
Tweet us at @FundrRegulator