In order to secure new donors Diabetes UK is increasingly using face-to-face fundraising – talking to people on their doorstep and on sites such as shopping centres and supermarket forecourts.
We started using this type of fundraising (also known as 'F2F') with great success for our weekly lottery programme in July 2012, and we are now testing this across all four nations of the UK to recruit new regular givers. The long-term security of these donations is invaluable in allowing us to plan ahead with confidence and continue to make a difference to the lives of people with diabetes, now and in the future.
However, we are aware that these fundraising techniques can cause concern and raise questions and so we wanted to attempt to address these on this page.
Why are Diabetes UK doing face-to-face fundraising?
Face-to-face fundraising is a safe, secure and proven method of recruiting new, regular and long-term supporters, and is cost-effective as we only pay the fundraising organisation for those new supporters who agree to sign up. It is particularly successful in recruiting supporters who have tended not to respond to other types of fundraising, and want to speak to someone on a one-to-one basis before they make a donation.
We appreciate that face-to-face fundraising is not well-thought-of by some people. They may have concerns over the effectiveness of this type of activity, the benefits to charity, or the amount of money it costs.
We do it simply because it works. Since face-to-face fundraising first appeared on UK streets in 1997, donors recruited in this way give £10m to charity every month. In 2011/12 alone, 840,000 new charity Direct Debits were taken out via face-to-face fundraisers. It is proven to be the fastest way of recruiting new donors, with the best rate of return on investment.
We need more regular givers to provide a steady and reliable source of income, so we are better placed to plan for future work. We need to get in on this success if we are to increase our income from individual donors
What type of F2F is Diabetes UK doing?
We are currently doing two types of face-to-face fundraising – talking to people on their doorsteps, and also in private sites such as shopping centres 
and supermarket forecourts.
One of the door-to-door campaigns we are undertaking is with a company called Real Fundraising. This campaign gives people a choice of four charities to support, asking them to donate to one cause. This is known as 'charity choice'.
For further information on this please see the Frequently Asked Questions document (PDF, 396KB).
Are fundraisers currently working in my area?
The fundraisers are working in all four nations, so it is likely there could be some near you. An up-to-date list of the locations can be found in the face-to-face fundraising schedule (Excel, 38KB).
How can I identify Diabetes UK fundraisers?
Our fundraisers will carry and clearly display an ID badge which carries their photo and their authorisation to fundraise on our behalf.
They will also wear a blue Diabetes UK tabard; for private site work this may be a charity T-shirt or jacket.
The exception here is the Real Fundraising Charity Choice fundraisers, who will wear a Real-branded jacket, with a pitchcard showing the charities that they can support.
Is this type of fundraising regulated?
Yes. Face-to-face fundraising is regulated by the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (PFRA). The PFRA is a self-regulating membership body established to coordinate fundraising activity and promote quality, integrity and transparency.
The PFRA has fundraising agreements with more than 50 councils and works with charities, professional fundraising organisations, local authorities and the police to ensure high standards in the industry and to resolve complaints.
Please see the FAQs document for more information, and for details on how the fundraisers are monitored.
Who can I contact about this activity?
If you can’t find the answer to your question in the FAQs, or if you have any concerns about the conduct of someone representing Diabetes UK, please contact our Supporter Services team on 0845 123 2399, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, or email supporterservices@diabetes.org.uk.