From 1st April, paid fundraisers will be required to tell potential donors how much of each donation will go towards their wages; this will affect street, telephone and door-to-door collectors. In addition, shops which donate a portion of the sale price of an item to charity will have to explicitly state the extent to which charity will benefit.

Commenting on the new rules, Phil Hope, minister for the third sector, said: "People have a right to know how much of what they give will actually go to charity. Professional fundraising is a legitimate and very effective way to raise money for the charities that do a huge amount to tackle poverty and injustice in our world. This will ensure that they can operate with full transparency, which will help maintain high levels of public trust in charities.”

The guidance is available at www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/thirdsector