Led by the London Prevent Network and the Metropolitan Police and supported by the Charity Commission and Fundraising Standards Boards, a campaign for Safer Giving launched in London last week to promote safe charitable giving in the capital.
The campaign advises the public of six simple checks that they can carry out before donating. They are:
• Genuine fundraising materials should feature the charity’s name, registered name and a landline contact number. Be wary of those that list only a mobile number.
• Before making a donation or accepting a collection tin, check the charity’s name and registration number on the online Register of Charities at www.gov.uk/charity-commission (click on ‘Find charities’).
• Look for the FRSB tick logo indicating that the charity is signed up to fundraising regulation, encouraging people to give with confidence. www.frsb.org.uk
• Genuine charity collectors should be wearing an ID badge, have a sealed container and be able to produce a valid local authority or police licence. If the collection is in a privately owned place (including shopping centres and train stations), check that they have the owner’s permission. Collectors should also be able to prove they have the charity’s permission to collect.
• If in doubt, ask the collector for more information – a genuine fundraiser will always be happy to answer questions and explain more about the work of the charity.
• If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of a request for donations, don’t hesitate to contact that charity directly. Be wary of any appeals where contact details are not provided.
“Londoners should be encouraged that the large majority of charity collections are genuine and carried out by fundraisers that adhere to best practice standards.”
Alistair McLean, Chief Executive of the Fundraising Standards Board
You can find more information about the campaign at @safergiving and #supportcharitynotcrime.
Clothes Aid operates a department dedicated to protecting your clothing donations from theft by so-called bogus collectors. If you have a received a leaflet or bag that you suspect might be from a ‘bogus’ company you can contact us collection.protection@clothesaid.co.uk or contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
