Accountability and transparency in fundraising are to be the focus of a new Code of Practice from the Institute of Fundraising.

The Code forms part of the Institute’s contribution to the recently launched ImpACT Coalition, which aims to increase public trust and confidence in charities, and includes information on:

- how to communicate information about the purpose and benefits of fundraising to donors, funders, beneficiaries and the general public;
- how to comply with relevant finance and reporting initiatives and regulations to enhance donor and public understanding;
- how to be transparent in fundraising and reporting materials about the investment organisations make in fundraising.

Chair of the ImpACT (Improving Accountability, Clarity and Transparency) Coalition, Alan Gosschalk, said: “We need to work together to give supporters the facts about how charities work, to explain the different methods of fundraising and why charities need to invest in increasing their fundraising capacity. These new guidelines are a critical step forward in giving fundraisers real, practical support in ensuring that their organisation is as transparent as possible.”

The Institute is calling fore charity fundraisers, lawyers and communication professionals who would like to play a key role in the development of this Code to apply to join the Working Party. Applications to join or chair the group are available from www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk and must be submitted by 21 October.