Fundraising calls have been frequent causes of complaint, particularly when continued after recipients have asked for them to stop – but up to now fundraisers have been able to justify these calls as administration of existing support, or as adminstrative calls relating to earlier contact.

Their operating code says fundraisers should not telephone supporters who have asked not to be called, but exempts “calls undertaken in the course of the administration of support that has already been achieved”. It also exempts calls that ask people to get involved with trading or volunteering, calls that “provide information” and calls to thank supporters.

Concern grew after the Information Commissioner’s Office reviewed the IoF code last week and issued a statement emphasising that anyone who had asked not to be called should not be called. The ICO enforces the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. “All calls, including administrative calls, should be covered by the code,” said one commentator. “As it stands, it is wrong. I hope that as a result of the summit it can be changed.”

The statement said: “Organisations should not disguise calls intended to persuade people to agree to receive marketing calls as ‘admin’ calls that would not otherwise have been made. We would be concerned if organisations are making these types of calls to individuals who have previously asked not to be contacted.”

The change stems from the chief executive of telephone fundraising agency Pell & Bales, who advocated making ‘administrative’ calls to supporters who had asked not to be called in order to check whether they had changed their minds.