Published fundraising cost allocation, fee disclosure, and solicitation statement policy
This criterion assesses whether the organization has developed and publicly disclosed a comprehensive policy serving three objectives: (1) Donor-facing transparency (raf‘ al-jahālah), (2) SORP-consistent accounting and cost allocation, and (3) legally compliant solicitation statements and third-party fundraiser controls. It evaluates the organization's commitment to ethical fundraising by openly communicating how costs are calculated, allocated, and reported. The policy defines ‘fundraising costs’ (direct, third‑party/agency fees, payment processing, platform fees), explains gross vs net recognition, and sets channel‑specific disclosure rules. It clarifies that ‘pricing’ refers to ticket/entry fees and suggested donation amounts, ensuring no hidden surcharges or coercive fee coverage options are applied.
Compliance 7
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Documented cost allocation and fee disclosure policy (including solicitation statements)Documentation Essential
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Event pricing/Gift Aid/VAT rule defined and appliedCompliance Essential
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Claims substantiation and qualifier control for '100%'/'admin-free' claimsCompliance Essential
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Consistency with financial reporting (SORP)Quality Essential
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Maintain a register of all professional fundraiser/commercial participator agreements with trustee oversightCompliance Essential
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Gross recognition of income and costs where fees are deducted by agencies/platformsDocumentation Essential
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Compliance with ICO PECR & UK GDPR for direct marketingCompliance Essential
Good 11
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Public availability of the policyProcess Essential
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Minimum disclosure content matrix by channelDocumentation Essential
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Disclosure of fundraising expense ratios with defined formulasPerformance Essential
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Regular review and updating of the policyMonitoring Essential
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Board approval of the policyGovernance Essential
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Case studies illustrating policy applicationTransparency Medium
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Differentiated approaches for different fundraising channelsInnovation High
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Balance between transparency and simplicityLeadership High
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Integration with broader ethical fundraising frameworkExcellence High
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Mandatory staff/agency training and certification on the policyStakeholder Engagement High
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Use of standardized templates for solicitation statementsProcess Medium
Better 6
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Benchmarking against sector standardsExcellence High
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Transparent reporting of actual vs. policy outcomesTransparency High
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Educational components explaining rationaleStakeholder Engagement Medium
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Stakeholder consultation in policy development (fulfilling ḥuqūq al-‘ibād)Stakeholder Engagement High
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Routine sampling (pre‑ and post‑campaign) to test disclosure compliance and comprehensionMonitoring High
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Plain‑English, WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility, and translationsAccessibility High
Discussion (1)
📋 **Version updated: 1.0.0 → 2.9.7** **Changes:** Updated islamic_references from mizan-297.json
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