Fraser Hudghton welcomes the review into fundraising in Scotland and calls on fundraisers to make their case for why self-regulation works

The announcement of a Scottish review of charity fundraising practice had a sense of inevitability about it, even if the narrative over the last two months on how charities fundraise in Scotland has been less rabid than compared with elsewhere in the UK.

For far too long on the issue of malpractice and its wider implications, good charity fundraisers have been on the back foot.

If it isn’t known then it should be – the Institute of Fundraising (IOF) across the UK demands the highest fundraising standards from our members and fundraisers across the board.

In Scotland the public mood is unique in many ways. Devolution and exposure to the inner workings of the Scottish Parliament has enabled a tangible sense that we can do things differently.

When the UK Prime Minister announced the review chaired by Sir Stuart Etheridge south of the border, he did so via the Daily Mail. One can only imagine what the reaction would be if Scottish Ministers did the same here.

This agenda, however, has not been led by the tabloid newspapers but by a UK government intent on driving home a range of policies which aggressively target charities, the welfare state, and by proxy the poorest, disenfranchised and most isolated members of our communities.

The Scottish review into charity fundraising practice should be welcomed by good fundraisers. This is an opportunity for fundraisers to show off their wares – to get on their soapbox and start talking up what a brilliant job they do in Scotland.

At the same time there is an onus on a few charities to get their houses in order. If you carry out bad practices within self-regulation, you risk destroying faith in the sector across the board.

As professional fundraisers we shouldn’t find ourselves in the position of defending the indefensible. Where bad practice is uncovered action must be taken. That is why IoF has already made changes to the Code of Practice, which all fundraisers must follow and why we are working closely with sector colleagues across the UK to further review key areas of concern.

This agenda has been led by a UK government intent on driving home a range of policies which aggressively target charities, the welfare state, and by proxy the poorest, disenfranchised and most isolated members of our communities

At IoF Scotland we want the wider Scottish review into fundraising to target bad practice alone, ensuring fundamentally that fundraisers can continue to bring in those vital donations.

Where we must make a collective stand as fundraisers is when an anti-charity agenda led by the current UK Government – remember the UK Minister last September telling you to get back to your knitting? – is permitted to define the future of fundraising. Its attack on charity fundraisers falls into the same bracket as its hammering of the welfare state and attempts to stifle charities voice through the Lobbying Act.

We have in the Scottish Parliament a very strong cross-party consensus that charities do brilliant work, self-regulation is working in Scotland and allows charities to fundraise and deliver their vital services to our communities. This is not a view shared by the current Westminster government.

At IoF Scotland we have been and will continue to work closely with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Scotland's charity regulator and the Scottish Government to ensure fundraisers who adhere to the best standards in our profession are at the heart of this review into fundraising practices.

To fundraisers I would say this – whilst I don’t believe that there is a strong desire in Scotland to regulate or restrict charities, we should not leave this message to be carried forward by others on our behalf.

Right now we need to make very clear just how passionate, dedicated, and hard-working charity fundraisers in Scotland are.

We have plenty of reasons to be proud of our profession and the work we do. As a sector in Scotland we should be talking up the inspirational stories which harness the public’s overwhelming generosity and clearly demonstrate that good fundraising can be a brilliant, life changing profession.

There has never been a better, or more important, time to be a fundraiser.

Fraser Hudghton is national manager at the Institute of Fundraising Scotland