Face to face and telephone fundraising

It is important for us to continue our fundraising efforts, especially in this difficult time. The demand for our vital services has never been higher and like many other sectors of the economy, non-profit fundraising has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

We have not taken the decision lightly to re-launch our face to face program. We stopped fundraising in the field, March 2020 and since then, have pivoted this resource and skillset to an in-house calling team to help continue to connect with our supporters and volunteers while working on our re-build and recovery plan. While other nonprofits have started recently or are about to start their face to face operations in the coming days, we have launched phase 1 of a multi-phase approach to ensure we do this responsibly. In phase 1 we are only testing F2F activity in private site settings rather than a street canvassing approach, which allows us to practice all government guidelines more appropriately.

Like many of our fellow organisations and businesses in the community, we must work to safely resume regular business activities. We have set clear criteria to move from one phase to another based on a downward trajectory of COVID-19 cases, and to stop activities again, if necessary. As part of that work, we developed best practices to ensure our staff, representatives, and the public are safe, following government and local guidelines providing:

• PPE (gloves, hand sanitizers, wipes, face masks, face shields)
• Contactless temperature checks
• Anti-slip tape to clearly outline 6 feet distance
• Contactless payment options for donations
• Thorough safety training
• Continued analysis of local COVID-19 cases, to ensure we pivot to areas that are proving 14 days in a downward trajectory, of confirmed COVID-19 cases

Yes, the Fundraising Regulator is the regulatory body for fundraising in the UK. Oxfam is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and complies with all aspects of the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Yes - Oxfam's Fundraising Policy can be found on this page of our website.

Oxfam's approach to fundraising is driven by the 3 principles set out below:

• Fairness - treating all members of the public fairly and respectfully. This means respecting the wishes and preferences of supporters, empowering them to make a difference in the world while being mindful of and sensitive to any particular need that a supporter may have. 
• Inclusiveness - we are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make change happen, regardless of visible and invisible differences. In making fundraising appeals the rights and dignity of our partners must be upheld at all times.
• Accountability - it is up to all fundraisers to take responsibility and care to ensure that their fundraising is delivered to a high standard. We re-invest a small part of our donations into fundraising to secure future income. 

Yes. All of our fundraisers are professionally trained throughout the year, as we want them to be knowledgeable ambassadors who confidently represent Oxfam, and are trained to be compliant with the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Practice. We trust our fundraisers to speak to thousands of people in all parts of the country every year, and we take pride in their enthusiasm, dedication and professionalism.

We constantly monitor our fundraisers' behaviour and performance. We want to ensure they represent Oxfam's values when talking to the public and adhere to all regulations relating to Fundraising and Data Protection as specified by the Fundraising Regulator and the Information Commissioner. Every complaint is taken very seriously and individually dealt with, and actions are taken to prevent it from happening again.

We want you to feel comfortable about the legitimacy of our representatives. Here we have listed some details that will help you to identify a genuine Oxfam fundraiser.

Oxfam street and private site fundraisers will:

• Display an Oxfam identification badge with their name and photo.
• Have clear Oxfam branding on clothing and supporting material.
• Never ask for a cash donation (they are only allowed to ask for donations through Direct Debit or mobile giving).

Oxfam telephone fundraisers will:

Call you from one of the following phone numbers:

01865 575035

01865 575251

01865 638132

01865 638244

01865 638447

01865 638531

01865 638547

01865 638533

01865 638696

01865 638778

01865 638802

01865 638931

01865 638978

01865 954032

• Start the call by saying that they are calling on behalf of Oxfam.
• Where a donation (or regular gift) is taken during the call, they will also state that they are paid fundraisers working for a professional fundraising agency.

If you are still unsure and you want to know whether we called your number or had fundraisers in your area, email our Supporter Relations team at heretohelp@oxfam.org.uk or call 0300 200 1300.

Our street fundraisers are not allowed to ask for, or accept, cash donations; they are only allowed to ask for donations through Direct Debit or mobile giving. These are the most effective ways of giving to charity, as they reduce administration costs and generate a steady and reliable stream of income, allowing us to plan for our long-term projects and make a real and lasting difference to millions of people's lives. However, every contribution is very valuable to our work. If you still wish to make a single donation, you can donate online or call our Supporter Relations team on 0300 200 1300.

If a fundraiser asked you for cash they may not be genuine so please report this to our Supporter Relations team by calling 0300 200 1300 or emailing heretohelp@oxfam.org.uk.

Please note that we also have volunteer fundraisers who organise collections on streets or in private venues. They will be collecting cash and will never ask for bank details, and they should have a letter of authorisation from Oxfam.

We take the security of your personal details extremely seriously and have measures in place to protect them. Please be assured that we will not, under any circumstances, share your data with anyone for marketing purposes and you will not receive offers from other companies or organisations as a result of giving your details to us.

If you have chosen to support us by Direct Debit you will receive a letter from us confirming your details and notifying you of the amount and date your donation will reach us.

You can also cancel a Direct Debit at any time by writing to your bank or building society, or by getting in touch with our Supporter Relations team by emailing heretohelp@oxfam.org.uk or calling 0300 200 1300.

Our privacy policy contains more information about how we use your personal details.

We screen our calling lists against the TPS and FPS before any calling campaign. People registered with the FPS are excluded from all marketing, and we do not call anyone who has signed up to TPS unless they have previously provided explicit consent for us to use that number for marketing purposes.

That's great! If after talking to our fundraiser you would like to set up a regular contribution to Oxfam, you can do so on our website, or call our Supporter Relations team on 0300 200 1300 and donate over the phone, or ask for a Direct Debit form to be sent to you via post.

If you don't feel it's the right moment for you to commit to a regular donation, but you would still like to support us, you can find other ways to donate. And if you want to have fun and meet great people, while still supporting a great cause, we definitely have something for everyone's taste!

We always welcome feedback as they help us to improve and offer a better experience to our supporters. You can get in touch with our helpful Supporter Relations team on 0300 200 1300 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, or email us at heretohelp@oxfam.org.uk. If you are getting in touch with feedback about one of our fundraisers, it would be extremely helpful if you could provide us with as many details as possible (date and time, location, fundraiser's description).

If you have other questions about Oxfam's fundraising, please get in touch with our helpful Supporter Relations team on 0300 200 1300 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, or email us at heretohelp@oxfam.org.uk.