Fundraising Regulation

The Fundraising Regulator is an independent, non-statutory body that regulates fundraising across the charitable sector in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It stands up for best practice in fundraising, in order to protect donors and support the vital work of fundraisers. They work in partnership with other regulators and the representative bodies in the charitable and fundraising sectors to build public confidence and ensure consistent fundraising standards across the UK

In 2017 the NI voluntary sector, after a 9-month consultation exercise, chose to be governed by the existing Fundraising Regulator rather than set up its own, home-grown fundraising regulation system. Northern Ireland is represented on the Board of the Fundraising Regulator by Walter Rader, well known to many here from his time as the Big Lottery Fund’s NI Director and his work in helping set up the Charity Commission.

In March 2018 registration for the FR and Fundraising Preference Service opened in NI. All charities can register with the FR for £50 per year. If you spend more than £100,000 on fundraising in a year then you should pay the appropriate levy, this is a voluntary contribution to support the cost of our work. You can register here.

We encourage all charities to make themselves familiar with the Code of Fundraising Practice and follow it in their own organisation, this inclcudes board members, staff and volunteers. It is a voluntary code developed by and for fundraisers to support best practice and protect the reputation of charities to the public.