The code has been praised for improvements in accessibility and clarity.
The Scottish Fundraising Standards Panel has welcomed the new Code of Fundraising Practice, which comes into effect today.
The code contains the standards expected of all charitable fundraising organisations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as those based in those three countries who operate in Scotland.
This is the first major redraft of the code in almost a decade, following a consultation in autumn 2018.
Improvements have been made to style, presentation, clarity and accessibility to make it easier for fundraisers, charities and third-party organisations to understand the standards expected of them when fundraising.
Organisations affected by the changes have been asked to ensure their fundraising materials, training and policies are updated to reflect the standards in the new code, which is available online as a downloadable pdf.
The new code has been welcomed by the Scottish Fundraising Standards Panel, which oversees self-regulation of fundraising in Scotland.
In a statement, the panel said: “The Independent Panel welcomes the newly improved Code of Fundraising Practice which comes into effect on October 1 2019.
“These changes follow a consultation in autumn 2018, which focused on the style, presentation, clarity and accessibility of the current code.
“The changes, designed to make it easier for fundraisers, charities and third-party organisations to understand the standards expected of them when fundraising, introduce a new layout which sees the standards restructured into three parts, with the welcome addition of a glossary of terms and legal appendices to the code.
“There will also be greater clarification of where there are differences in law in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. The code has been written in Plain English and has been given a Crystal Mark standard.
“The existing code still applies, and complaints will continue to be considered against the version of the code in effect at the time of the incident; however the new code will be used as the basis for making decisions about any incidents that take place from October onwards.”
