Biggest source of public complaints stem from bag collections of charities' behalf

Lord Grade, the fundraising regulator, has slammed charities for using doorstep clothing agencies to raise money.

He said the practice was the public’s most complained about issue and that people have begun to “feel invaded” by the proliferation of these companies.

Last year the regulator received 1,080 complaints in total from the public.

Grade said that the majority of the complaints it received from the public stemmed from the agencies delivering the bags on behalf of charities.

“They need to understand what reaction they are getting,” said Grade. “I think they are not terribly sensitive or maybe not resourced, maybe not skilled enough to be that concerned about what the public reaction is to their fundraising initiatives.”

They “routinely ignore notices such as those saying ‘no charity bags’” according to Grade. He added the Fundraising Regulator was redrafting its code of practice for fundraisers to make clear its rules on charity bags.

However Peter Lewis, chief executive of the Institute of Fundraising, said Grade’s language was unhelpful but agreed with his point.

In a tweet Lewis said: “Lord Grade's flowery language is unhelpful but in substance he & @danielfluskey are right. Charities should respect people's preferences & not ignore "no charity bags" signs. We know @IoFtweets members are absolutely committed to excellent fundraising that inspires people to give.”