Charities in Scotland will not be subject to the new UK Fundraising Regulator, following the decision to establish a new Scottish independent fundraising panel.

The decision to establish this independent panel follows a lengthy consultation with both the Scottish third sector and public. The consultation, conducted by the Scottish Fundraising Working Group and overseen by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), focused on how to improve the public trust and encourage good practice in charity fundraising, following media scrutiny over existing fundraising practices.

The consultation offered respondents three options:

adopt the UK Fundraising Regulator
set up a new funding regulator for Scotland
see OSCR and Scottish charities take on more responsibility for self-regulation

The third and final of these options was identified as the preferred model, which has been recommended to the Scottish Government in a consultation report created by the Fundraising Working Group, along with a further suggestion that cross-border charities adopt a lead regulator model.

The new Scottish independent fundraising panel will comprise members of the public, donors, fundraisers, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) and the Scottish Government, and will enforce standards that all charities must adhere to.

For further information, please visit the SCVO website.