Don’t let the UK Government steal this opportunity for our sector

I was surprised to read earlier this week that Michael Grade has been appointed interim chair of the new fundraising regulator. Don’t get me wrong. He's a successful guy. He was an effective chair of BBC Trust and Channel 4. But heading up the new fundraising regulator – really? Personally, I would prefer Jackie Bird. She’s likely to be more familiar with Scotland’s third sector; she’s bright, strongly opinionated and knows her stuff. Joking aside, the real question is: are charities in Scotland happy to let the distant drones of Westminster decide on how fundraising should be regulated, or are we going to do it for ourselves.

Scotland’s third sector has the opportunity to take a lead on regulation

Because let's be clear – these are the stakes. Our very autonomy is at risk. This is about as serious as it gets. So, who’s it going to be? Us or them? For what it’s worth, I think we should grasp this opportunity to design a system that works for everyone - donors, charities and, of course, beneficiaries. We have a very supportive Scottish Government. Alex Neil MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice has stated “it's only right that charities should take the lead.” The Scottish Government has endorsed SCVO’s recent fundraising review, OSCR is on board and, from the conversations I’ve had, it’s clear that the sector is on board too. So, in effect, we are working with a blank sheet. Yes, we have to take account of all that has gone before - standards, codes, reviews. At this point, however, the key thing is to avoid getting caught up in the detail. We need to think strategically. We need a long-term approach to pin down the principles and the model for the type of fundraising system we want to see. If we get this right, we can then work on the detail. Scotland’s third sector has the opportunity to take a lead on regulation and show how it can be done properly and sensibly for the benefit of all. It’s crunch time – if we don’t sort out fundraising, Cameron and Osborne will do it for us. We can do this for ourselves. I look forward to all of us working together to get the best for our sector and the people it supports.