A Community Interest Company (CIC) that raises money for and employs UK service veterans as street fundraisers has breached the Fundraising Code in a raft of areas.

The Fundraising Regulator’s investigation found that Kent headquartered We R Blighty CIC was in breach of codes around behaviour, informing donors and treating people fairly as well as around licensing and contracts.

Its probe into the CIC was launched following multiple complaints it received about the conduct of fundraisers and around licensing arrangements in place from 2023.

“The complaints, and information from the public, local authorities, and other organisations, all raised similar concerns,” said the regulator.

“This included whether the CIC had appropriate licences and permissions to carry out street fundraising, claims made by the CIC verbally and in its fundraising materials, and the behaviour of its fundraisers that was seen by donors to be unprofessional and aggressive.”

“Overly persistent” fundraisers was another issue highlighted and concerns were raised by councils in London and Kent over fundraising taking place without permission.

The CIC was found to be fundraising across three sites in central London without the necessary licences in place, which the CIC believed it did not need.

In June this year the chief executive of the CIC pleaded guilty at City of London Magistrates court to a number of offences relating to unauthorised fundraising.

Fundraising materials ‘suggesting a link with a well-known national vetarans’ charity, which the CIC has since confirmed it does not work with’ is another concern raised.

While the CIC’s fundraisers are self-employed it was found to not have the correct agreements in place to manage this and there was not enough monitoring in place of their work.

“There was also enough information available for us to conclude on balance that some fundraisers for the CIC acted in an aggressive and unprofessional way towards both potential donors and public officials,” added the regulator.

The CIC has been recommended to review its training materials, introduce more robust agreements with fundraisers, monitor their work, create a complaints policy “urgently” and ensure it has the correct permission to fundraise.

The regulator has been told by the CIC that its findings have been accepted and “that it is taking steps to engage with our recommendations”.

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