Applies to: All Evolve Fundraising staff, subcontractors, managers, charity partners, donors, and members of the public.
1. Policy Statement
Evolve Fundraising is committed to delivering the highest possible standards of fundraising practice and public engagement. We take all complaints seriously, investigate them thoroughly, and use learning to improve our work.
We recognise our responsibility to:
- Treat every complaint respectfully
- Respond quickly
- Investigate fairly and transparently
- Comply with charity partner requirements
- Report serious issues to appropriate regulators
- Ensure learning leads to better practice
No member of the public, donor, or charity partner should ever feel ignored or dismissed.
2. Definition of a Complaint
Any expression of dissatisfaction, whether verbal or written, made by a member of the public, donor, charity partner or stakeholder about Evolve Fundraising, our staff, subcontractors, representatives, or fundraising activity.
Examples include:
- Behaviour of a fundraiser
- Misrepresentation of a charity
- Aggressive or unprofessional conduct
- Data protection concerns
- Misleading information or errors
- Site conduct issues
- Lack of accessibility or barriers to engagement
- Safety or safeguarding concerns
- Breach of charity instructions
- Operational or management failures
Complaints may be raised anonymously.
3. How a Complaint Can Be Made
Complaints can be submitted via any of the following channels:
4. Who Handles Complaints
4.1 Initial Receipt
Frontline staff forward complaints immediately to the Complaints & Compliance Team.
4.2 Investigation Lead
Most complaints are handled by the Regional Manager or Compliance Manager. Serious complaints escalate to the Head of Operations or CEO.
4.3 Charity Partner Notification
We inform charity partners of:
- Serious complaints
- Safeguarding allegations
- Misconduct
- Any complaint received directly by them
- Any complaint with reputational risk
5. Complaint Response Timeframes
We commit to the following response timeframes:
If a complaint requires regulatory or police involvement, timescales may be adjusted accordingly.
6. Complaints Investigation Process
Evolve follows a structured, fair and transparent process:
LoggingComplaint is logged in the Evolve Complaints Register including: date, time, location; name and details of complainant (unless anonymous); nature of complaint; staff involved; evidence available; and immediate actions taken.
Evidence CollectionWe gather: statements from fundraisers, witness accounts, footage (where legally obtained), tracking data, scripts or materials used, and any charity partner information.
InvestigationThe investigation lead assesses whether fundraising rules were followed, compliance with CIOF standards, accuracy of information provided, whether conduct was professional and ethical, and any safeguarding or data-related risks.
Outcome DecisionFindings will be categorised as: Not Upheld, Partially Upheld, or Upheld.
Corrective ActionsMay include: coaching or retraining, disciplinary action, suspension from charity campaigns, termination of contract, amendments to training or processes, or reporting to charity partners or regulators.
Response to ComplainantA written or verbal response outlining: investigation summary, findings, actions taken, and explanation of next steps if relevant.
7. Escalation Rights
If a complainant is unhappy with our response, they may escalate in the following order:
- Internal Review — Reviewed by the Head of Operations.
- Senior Leadership Review — Reviewed by the CEO.
- External Escalation — Complainants may refer the complaint to an external body.
External bodies include:
- Fundraising Regulator — for fundraising conduct
- Advertising Standards Authority — if related to messaging or claims
- Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) — if data-related
- Local Authority — for door-to-door licence concerns
- Police — where criminal activity is suspected
- Charity Partner — for charity-related concerns
We will always cooperate fully with any external investigation.
8. Types of Complaints & Mandatory Escalation
The following categories must always be escalated immediately to the CEO and relevant charity partner:
9. Learning & Improvement
Evolve Fundraising uses complaints to drive continuous improvement across all areas of our work:
- Improve training programmes
- Strengthen compliance monitoring
- Enhance quality assurance
- Update scripts or materials
- Adjust operational procedures
- Identify problematic subcontractors or patterns
- Strengthen charity partner relationships
Quarterly complaint analysis reports are shared with senior leadership and, where agreed, with charity partners.
10. Storage & Data Handling
We store complaint records in compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018:
- Retained for 7 years
- Stored on secure, encrypted systems
- Only authorised personnel may access complaint files
11. Confidentiality
We protect complainant privacy, staff confidentiality, personal data, and investigation records at all times. Information is only shared when:
- Legally required
- Necessary for safeguarding
- Required by charity partners
- Relevant to regulatory bodies
- Needed to complete a fair investigation
12. Policy Availability
This policy will be:
- Published on the Evolve website (evolvebetter.uk)
- Provided to charity partners
- Included in staff induction packs
- Accessible on request to the public
13. Policy Review
This policy will be reviewed:
- Annually
- After any serious incident
- In response to regulatory changes
- At the request of charity partners