‘Unprofessional’ charities have ignored levy payment requests, says Lord Grade

The chair of the Fundraising Regulator says 138 charities have not responded to requests for payment of the fundraising levy

Lord Michael Grade, chair of the Fundraising Regulator, has reiterated calls for large fundraising charities to pay the fundraising levy and said it was “unacceptable and unprofessional” that 138 had ignored letters requesting payment.

In a blog on the Fundraising Regulator’s website about his first meeting with Amanda Bringans, chair of the Institute of Fundraising, Grade said more than 1,400 charities had paid or promised to pay the levy to fund the regulator.

“Those charities that haven’t paid are effectively being subsidised by those who have, which is hardly a fair situation,” said Grade.

“All of these charities have the ability to pay the levy. It is unacceptable and unprofessional that 138 charities have still not even responded to our several communications about the levy. If a charity feels that it should not pay the levy, we need to know why.”

Almost 1,800 charities that spend more than £100,000 a year on fundraising are eligible to pay the levy.

The regulator is due to announce by the end of the month the names of all the charities that fall within the scope of the levy and whether or not they have paid.

Bringans wrote in a blog post about their meeting last month that Grade had agreed to speak more positively about fundraisers after he was criticised by sector umbrella bodies for saying too many charities were “proving to be laggards” in terms of reforming their fundraising practices.

In his post published yesterday, Grade said that some of his words about the sector “have been emphasised by the media”, which had focused on his “criticism of the few”.

He said: “Yes, we have been firm and will continue to be firm in calling out bad practice.

“However, we have also consistently acknowledged the outstanding work undertaken by charities and fundraisers. Sadly, we don’t have the power to write our own headlines but, whenever the opportunity arises, we will speak positively about the charitable sector and its excellent work.”

Grade said in his blog that most larger and many smaller charities were redefining their relationships with donors so the changes so the changes in regulation were an opportunity rather than a threat.

“There are many in business who could learn from this,” he said.

“This reflects how fundraisers have been committed to operating to an increasingly high standard.

“It is clear that the public is appreciative when fundraisers interact in a sensitive, considerate manner, understanding the precious trust the public holds in charities and how vital that trust is to ensuring that charities continue to be supported.”

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Petition calls for Lord Grade to resign from Fundraising Regulator

The Change.org petition had 84 signatures this morning, including Ian MacQuillin of the Rogare think tank

An online petition calling for Lord Michael Grade to resign as chair of the Fundraising Regulator has garnered support from fundraisers after his comments in The Daily Telegraph and on BBC Radio 4 last week.

The petition, started two days ago on the petition website Change.org, had attracted 84 signatures at the time of writing and was started by a user under the name “Proud to be a Fundraiser”.

The petition comes just days after the regulator confirmed that Grade’s term as chair, which was initially an interim appointment up to January 2016, had been extended until the end of 2018.

Grade attracted criticism from sector bodies last week after saying in a national newspaper article that too many charities were “proving to be laggards” and were failing to address public concerns about fundraising.

He then appeared on Radio 4’s Today programme and gave out incorrect information about how the FPS would work, mistakenly saying it would allow people to block contact from all charities at once, rather than specific charities.

He has previously described fundraising as “the Wild West” and fundraisers as “rogues and cowboys”.

The petition calls on Stephen Dunmore, chief executive of the Fundraising Regulator, to “initiate a process to replace Lord Grade immediately and find a chairman who is willing and able to represent donors and not-for-profit organisations responsibly”.

The person who started the petition, who did not wish to be named, told Third Sector they were not expecting to attract thousands of signatures, but it was “a gesture of support” for a strong relationship between the Fundraising Regulator and the fundraising community.

“It’s not just to stir things up for the sake of it,” the person said. “Having the regulator is critically important and every fundraiser I speak to recognises that, but having that trust of the regulator, the donor and charities is the fundamental basis of moving forward.”

The person said Grade’s comments had been “disrespectful and myopic” and risked “forcing a wedge rather than forging a bond” between donors, charities and the regulator.

The text accompanying the petition describes the extension of Grade’s term as unacceptable, describing his comments as “broad sweeping statements to deliberately court controversy and fan the flames of division and discontent”.

It warns that Grade’s comments could result in charities becoming wary of engaging with the regulator, believing they would not get a fair hearing, and donors being put off making donations.

Ian MacQuillin, director of the fundraising think tank Rogare, was among the signatories.

In his comment on the Change.org website explaining why he had signed, he said: “I reluctantly made a call for Lord Grade’s resignation because I believe his public comments, which showed contempt for fundraisers and a lack of knowledge of his own organisation, mean he is bringing regulation of fundraising into disrepute at a time when we need a leader of the regulator who can build bridges and consensus, and regulate with the sector, not at it, to rebuild public trust in fundraising.”

The Fundraising Regulator declined to comment.

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Lord Grade to stay on as chair of Fundraising Regulator

Appointed on an interim basis in November 2015, he will continue until the end of 2018

Lord Michael Grade will continue as chair of the Fundraising Regulator until the end of 2018, the regulator has confirmed.

Grade was initially appointed to the role in November 2015 on an interim basis, but his term was extended in January until the end of June. It has now been renewed a second time until the end of 2018, a spokesman for the regulator said.

Grade attracted criticism from sector leaders last week when he said too many charities were proving to be “laggards” in terms of improving their fundraising practices.

He then gave out incorrect information about the Fundraising Preference Service, mistakenly saying it would allow people to block contact from all charities at once, rather than specific charities.

A spokesman for the regulator said: “Initially board members were appointed for two-year terms. Their terms are now being staggered so that not all members retire at the same time.

“New board members – including, when the time comes, a new chair – will be recruited openly, as happened recently with the board member for Wales and as will be the case soon with a board member for Northern Ireland.”

Grade works as chair at least four days a month and is paid £500 for each day he works.

Stephen Dunmore, the regulator’s interim chief executive is also expected to remain in post until the end of the year, having previously agreed to stay until the end of September.

The spokesman said the appointment of a new chief executive would also be subject to open competition.

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