Critical Fundraising

Chartered Institute of Fundraising calls for charities to sign Donor Code of Conduct pledge

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising, along with Rogare – the Fundraising Think Tank, has today called on charities across the UK to sign a pledge committing to develop and implement a Donor Code of Conduct that will safeguard fundraisers from inappropriate donor or supporter behaviour. This comes after more than half of surveyed fundraisers reported having experienced behaviour by a donor or supporter that made them feel physically or mentally unsafe.

NEWS: Give fundraisers ownership of their tasks and targets if you don’t want them to leave

Having ownership of tasks and practising a variety of skills is significantly linked to intention to stay in a job
But pro-social mindsets have no effect on turnover intention; pro-sociality is what gets people into fundraising in the first place, but not what keeps them in a job
Fundraisers should have a say in setting their own targets
Charities should provide fundraisers with skills-based continuing professional development.

NEWS: Do fundraisers care too much? New research reveals the hidden trauma and burnout crisis in fundraising

New research from Irish fundraiser Michelle Reynolds highlights four factors contributing to stress among fundraisers
Fundraisers feel they can’t say no to taking on extra work
Perception that the trauma and mental health issues experienced by fundraisers are “nothing” compared to those experienced by beneficiaries and frontline staff
Fundraising/charity leadership needs to tackle endemic burnout in the fundraising profession, which it has ignored for too long

NEWS: Charity values may not be so important to the ethics of turning down donations

This contention is made in new paper produced by Rogare with the Chartered Institute of Fundraising
Posits that most decisions based on alignment with a charity’s values can also be made by considering the harm that would result from accepting the donation
The Rogare paper is a companion to CIoF’s guidance on creating gift acceptance/refusal policies.

Fundraising insights from Australia and New Zealand

Rogare’s director Ian MacQuillin visited Australia and New Zealand in September with the support of Rogare Associate Member Giving Architects. In this blog he considers various aspects of that trip:

Rogare’s ethics of school fundraising project
The implications of this project being conducted in Australasia
Alternative conceptualisation of a fundraising profession
Māori philanthropy and fundraising.

NEWS: New Rogare project to create concepts and tools for resolving ethical dilemmas in fundraising for schools

Project to be conducted among school fundraisers in Australia and New Zealand
A bespoke normative lens of school fundraising ethics is needed, as lenses of ethics devised for mainstream fundraising do not map directly onto the dilemmas faced by school fundraisers
A major ethical concern for school fundraisers is donor dominance by parents
A suite of toolkits, guidance and decision-making frameworks to be made freely available to the fundraising profession by July 2025
While the work is based in Australia and New Zealand, the ideas and outputs will be applicable in many other countries, particularly English-speaking countries.

NEWS: Damian Chapman steps up as the new chair of the fundraising think tank Rogare

Takes over from the current chair, Heather Hill, who has been in the role since 2019
Vision to “reshape fundraising to make it more inclusive, ethical and impactful”

Damian Chapman – the director of fundraising and communications at the Charity for Civil Servants, in the UK – has become the new chair of Rogare – The Fundraising Think Tank. He succeeds Heather Hill, who has performed the role since April 2019, when Rogare became a standalone body, having been established at Plymouth University in 2014.