Charities and agencies face £1,000 fines under new street fundraising regime

Charities and agencies could be fined up to £1,000 if their street fundraisers breach a new best practice regime introduced by the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association.

Under the revamped regime, which the PFRA has been trialling for the last 12 months, fundraisers must not:

  • follow a person for more than three steps. (This requirement has been amended as a result of the trial);
  • stand within 3m of a shop doorway, cashpoint, pedestrian crossing or station entrance;
  • sign up to a Direct Debit anyone unable to give informed consent through illness, disability, or drink or drugs;
  • approach any members of the public who are working, such as tour guides or newspaper vendors.

The regime also involves a penalties framework. This will see breaches of the rules incur penalties of 20, 50 or 100 points, depending on their severity.

Once the organisation reaches a 1,000-point threshold, the points will be converted into fines at the rate of £1 per point.

These fines will be used by the PFRA to fund further compliance and enforcement activity, such as mystery shopping.

Sally de la Bedoyere, chief executive of the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association, says: “For a form of fundraising that is so regularly in the limelight, it is vitally important that fundraisers work to the highest possible standards in order to maintain the confidence of the public, media, and central and local government.

“The commitment made by all of our charity and agency members to conform to these new special standards is testament to the seriousness with which charities take their best practice obligations.”