Guides published to help charities tackle GDPR & fundraising research

The Institute of Fundraising (IoF), the professional membership body for charity fundraising in the UK, has published guides to help fundraisers with prospect research and major donor fundraising as well as the upcoming GDPR.

The Institute of Fundraising and the Fundraising Regulator released the joint guidance on GDPR, which is also approved by the Information Commissioner’s Office.

The free guidance is designed specifically for fundraisers and those in smaller organisations and focuses on practical application of the law to real life scenarios. It is based on questions charities have asked in the UK. It gives an overview of GDPR for charities and fundraisers, looks at different fundraising methods, and identifies ways in which personal data is likely to be used in each case. It also signposts to more detailed guidance from key sources to help fully equip fundraisers ahead of the GDPR’s implementation on 25 May this year.

Daniel Fluskey, head of policy and external affairs, Institute of Fundraising, said:

“It’s essential that fundraisers get GDPR right. We know that fundraisers have had questions over how the law will apply in practice and hope that these new guidance pieces help to demystify GDPR and enable fundraisers to plan their work to give supporters the best experience of fundraising.”

The prospect research guide, Connecting People to Causes: A Practical Guide to Fundraising Research has been published in partnership with charity sector advisors Bates Wells Braithwaite and fundraising consultancy More Partnership.

This guide aims to help fundraisers understand the lawful bases for processing data, and ensure they are treating people fairly and lawfully in their major donor fundraising and prospect research work.

It covers key topics and questions raised on major donor fundraising and the processing of data, including how charities can use publicly available information to help them better understand their donors, how and when to provide privacy notices to donors, and how to undertake legitimate interest balancing exercises.

Fluskey commented:

“We know that all fundraisers want to do the right thing and ensure their work is done according to the law and to the highest standard. The issues around major donor fundraising and prospect research have been ‘hot topics’ over the last year, and we are delighted to have worked with BWB and More Partnership on this new guide which will help support fundraisers go about their work with confidence and success.”