Direct mail has received the highest number of complaints from the public in the year since the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) was formed to self-regulate the charity industry.
In the last year, direct mail made up 31 per cent of the complaints received by the FRSB. Worryingly, 21 per cent of the complaints related to data protection issues.
Over 800 fundraising organisations and 36 suppliers have signed up to the self-regulatory scheme in the year since its launch.
FRSB chief executive Jon Scourse says: “Contrary to early expectations that the volume of complaints would predominantly be about face-to-face fundraising, the results suggest otherwise. The high number of complaints about data protection issues is worrying given this issue is bound by legal requirements.”
FRSB chairman Colin Lloyd adds: “The results of our research into public and committed supporter attitudes to direct mail were fed back to the