The self-regulatory body for face-to-face fundraising in Australia has taken “decisive action” to strengthen and upgrade its transparency and disclosure requirements in a bid to ensure the “vital source” of charity donors has a sustainable future.
As part of a two-pronged approach, the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (PFRA) is set to amend its standard to better protect donors from any potentially misleading statements, while the PFRA board has also agreed to set a new standard for disclosure to donors.
The PFRA, which announced the move on Tuesday, said it would apply to all face-to-face fundraisers working for its members.
The PFRA’s new CEO Peter Hills-Jones, who was previously head of the Public Fundraising Association in the UK before it was merged into the Institute of Fundraising, said it was designed to provide additional reassurance to the public.
“The vast majority of Australian fundraisers are incredibly dedicated, hard-working and honest. This is clearly reflected in the ACCC’s recent report, which showed that almost 90 per cent of F2F donors had a positive experience. But, in order to reassure the public we want to go even further,” Hills-Jones said.
“That’s why we’re moving immediately to embed the requirements of Australian Consumer Law into our own standard. This means that if a donor felt misled, whether the fundraiser intended to do so or not, we can investigate and help our members improve in future.”
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