Yesterday (Thursday 18th October) saw the first meeting of the Institute of Fundraising’s ('Institute') new Legal Review Committee. The Committee’s remit is to ensure that the legal requirements set out in the Codes of Fundraising Practice remain well interpreted and up-to-date.
The Institute’s Codes of Fundraising Practice are the benchmark for standards in UK fundraising, setting out the legal requirements, obligations for members of the Institute and issues of best practice.
It is announced that the following legal professionals will make up the Committee:
- Philip Kirkpatrick (Chair), partner, charity and social enterprise department, Bates Wells & Braithwaite
- Rachel Holmes, Professional Support Lawyer, Farrer & Co
- Yvette Deerness, Senior Legal Adviser, CRUK
- Matthew Waters, Assistant Solicitor , Bevan Brittan LLP
- Alison Talbot, Partner, Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons
The first Codes of Fundraising Practice to be amended address the fundraising areas of data protection, telephone fundraising, charity challenge events and raffles and lotteries.
The last 12 months have seen significant changes in regulations which are also set to continue, with the implementation of the Charities Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Gambling Act 2005 and imminent charity legislation in Northern Ireland.
Consequently, much of the legal content of the Codes of Fundraising Practice needs reviewing and updating.
The Committee will meet once every six weeks to review three of the 26 Codes per meeting. The Institute will act as secretariat for this Committee. A solicitor and member of the Institute’s Standards Committee will act as Chair.
Megan Pacey, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the Institute says:
'The Legal Review Committee is to carry out vital work in ensuring our Codes remain robust. The Codes of Fundraising Practice are more important today than they have ever been, in the self-regulatory environment that has followed the launch of the Fundraising Standards Board.
'We are delighted to have assembled such a strong group of individuals to make up this new committee.'
-ENDS-
For media queries, please contact:
Diana Mackie Tel. 020 7840 1027/ 07793 802 852
Institute of Fundraising
Email Diana Mackie
