Fundraisers are to be given better protection from harm and harassment under changes unveiled in the Fundraising Regulator’s draft code.

Among changes is a new rule specifying that charities and their third party fundraising organisations “must take reasonable steps to ensure individuals fundraising on your behalf are protected from harm and harassment”.

In addition, they must have in place “processes to let them raise and address such issues”.

The new code has been “fully redrafted following feedback” from a consultation launched by the regulator last year.

This revised code has been published this week by the regulator, which has launched a fresh consultation on the changes. This closes on 1 November this year.

All 15 sections of the code have been redrafted covering areas including fundraisers’ behaviour, processing of personal data and donations, partnerships, public fundraising and payroll giving.

Other changes include replacing the current code’s rule that fundraisers “must be polite to people at all times”.

This has been changed to ensure fundraisers “take all reasonable steps to ensure your fundraising is conducted in a way that reflects positively on fundraising in general”.

This includes not using pressure tactics, intruding on people’s privacy, being “unreasonably persistent” and accepting when a member of the public wants “to end an interaction”.

During last year’s consultation the regulator said an adjustment of this role was being considered to “allow fundraisers to respond with appropriate assertiveness to inappropriate behaviour from potential donors and the public”.

Another change is to strengthen rules around misleading fundraising tactics. In the draft code’s section about being “clear and honest” and fundraising new wording has been added saying “for example, if you are fundraising you must not say that a conversation is ‘not about fundraising’, or that there is ‘no commitment’ if you are asking for regular gifts.”

The full changes to the draft code can be found here, and details of the consultation around the changes can be found here.

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