Fundraising is Changing - what do we need to know & do in Northern Ireland?

This Bites Session hosted by IOF Northern Ireland is a chance to get up-to-speed on some of the fundraising regulation developments across the UK and what it means for Northern Ireland. While not seen as the most urgent or important of issues to charities here - confidence in fundraising goes to the heart of the sustainability and without raising money there is no charity. What will new regulations, rules and practices mean for us - can we have any say in the regulations? This Bites session aims raise the issues and get a feel for how we might respond. This event is provided free of charge.

The session will enable discussion about self-regulation in Northern Ireland among charities and fundraisers considering developments in England, Wales and Scotland. It will be a chance to find out more, ask questions and have your opinion heard. IOF Northern Ireland will then seek to have further discussions with the charity and fundraising regulators.

The summer of 2015 saw an unprecedented focus on the fundraising techniques used by some charities. At present, fundraising is largely regulated by the sector itself - ‘self-regulation’ and is guided by both legal and good practice requirements. It is the responsibility of charity trustees to ensure that they understand these requirements and put arrangements in place.  

The system of self-regulation is being reviewed in order to restore public confidence and develop a less complex and more effective system for addressing issues. In response, two reviews of fundraising regulation were performed. The first, whilst it talked in terms of a UK-wide system, covered only England and Wales and was conducted by NCVO (the Etherington Review). The second, which covered Scotland, was conducted by SCVO.

The Charity Commission NI has released a briefing on changes that are proposed to the regulation of fundraising and the potential impact on charities in Northern Ireland :http://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/media/116219/20160523-ccni-eg052-changes-in-fundraising-regulation-briefing-paper-v10.pdf

At present there has been no conversation as such about self regulation in Northern Ireland so this free event to discuss what it means. A light lunch will be available. 

When

Friday, 24 June 2016 from 11:00 to 14:00

Where

The MAC - 10 Exchange Street West, , Belfast, BT1 2NJ