Canvassing Code of Practice

Last Updated: November 2022

We adhere to the very highest standards in governance, quality assurance and compliance guidelines. We only work with partner organisations that adhere to these standards. We endeavour to deliver unparalleled levels of donor satisfaction, service and care.

We are a member of the Institute of Fundraising, the Fundraising Regulator, and The Lotteries Council and abide by the code practice requirements of each of these organisations.

With regards to our Lifesaving Lottery, we are a Gambling Commission licenced operator. To retain this license we work to a strict set of codes and conditions of practice, including social responsibility and the protection of vulnerable people. Additionally, we ensure partner organisations fully comply with the code of practice as laid out by Ofcom.

We only canvass outdoors to promote our Lifesaving Lottery, tin collections and at public and charity managed events where permission has been granted by the relevant authorities. We regularly monitor the service level of our outdoor canvassing partners through a network of managers and team leaders, and all feedback, whether positive or negative is immediately communicated and actioned where necessary.

A robust complaints policy, backed up by Independent Arbitration through IBAS has ensured that the few complaints we do receive are dealt with quickly and efficiently and to the complete satisfaction of the all parties concerned.

Through our partner organisations, all canvassers are trained to a very high standard. The partner organisations training programmes are approved by us and our ongoing monitoring processes have been held up as one of the best in the industry. These programmes include the completion of the Dementia Friends Awareness course.

All supplier partners, including telephone canvassing organisation, Unity4, are committed to the abiding by the guidelines laid out within this Canvassing Code of Practice.

Telephone canvassing guidelines

• Calls from our sole telephone canvassing organisation, Unity4, will only come from these two numbers: 01952 983 104 and 01952 458 623 
• No calling on Saturdays or Sundays
• No calling after 8pm
• Provide identifiable specific messages enabling return donor to identify Midlands Air Ambulance Charity (MAAC) calling
• Provide an automatic opt out service to enable the donor to block themselves from receiving further calls via an automatic service which is fast and easy to us
• Unanswered calls ring for a maximum of 30 seconds
• All unsolicited calls are filtered through the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).
• No calls are made if a donor is TPS registered or a donor has informed MAAC through a fair collection notice, they do not wish to receive further information on supporting the MAAC
• All calls (if consent is obtained) are recorded and available for our donors to access via the web through our Rapport CMS system. Donors can listen to all recorded calls at any time
• This access to all calls, provides total transparency and real-time access to the activity of our partner organisation
• Agents are provided with ongoing training on handling difficult calls; this includes appropriate handling and accidental calls to the old, infirm or minors.
• Telephone fundraising is subject to data protection legislation including the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations. These define the circumstances in which an individual must not be contacted by telephone for marketing purposes

Outdoor canvassing practices

All canvassers working on behalf of MAAC have to follow a strict set of guidelines and protocols which include all aspects of current Fundraising Regulator and PFRA rules as well as additional rules not covered including;

• Warden and Sheltered Housing protections. No canvassing without prior official consent
• No canvassing after 8pm
• A strict ‘no cash’ policy when canvassing for our Lifesaving Lottery
• As part of social responsibility and the protection of vulnerable people, a maximum two Lifesaving Lottery chances are allowed at any one time, unless signed off by manager
• Quarterly social responsibility questionnaire
• Canvass area reporting to relevant authorities in advance to working including local Police, Trading Standards and local authorities
• Lottery sign ups will be made on tablet devices. If you supply a mobile telephone number, you will receive a text message confirmation of the sign up and your letter of confirmation will then follow within ten days.

Donor information Clarification on confusion between Midlands Air Ambulance Charity and an organisation called HESE and/or Stoke Air Ambulance

In recent months we have received several enquiries from our supporters asking if we are connected to a charity called ‘Helicopter Emergency Service Equipment’ (HESE) also known as ‘Stoke Air Ambulance’. For clarification, it is important to note that HESE/Stoke Air Ambulance is a separate organisation and is not connected to Midlands Air Ambulance Charity. Read more about the clarification here.

Donor information 

On occasion, MAAC will purchase data for cold calling purposes, but only through recognised and carefully selected data acquisition companies. All data is scrutinised before being purchased, to ensure it is TPS checked (Telephone Preference Service) and is not a duplication of any existing MAAC donor records.

• MAAC will not knowingly contact a person registered on TPS, unless MAAC has been advised by the donor they are happy to receive contact
• MAAC will only contact those who have expressed an interest in receiving further information about the charity. This expression of interest would normally be acquired by the person completing an online survey or poll or is an existing donor that has notified MAAC in advance.
• MAAC does not sell its donor details to third parties, and will remove donors details from its contact list if requested by that individual.

We constantly review the canvassing policy to ensure it meets the current legislative requirements, the Charity Commission’s guidance, and mostly importantly the wishes and expectations of our donors.

Our senior management team and the partner organisations are available at all times to discuss quality and compliance. If you have any queries, please contact us on 0800 8 40 20 40 or email info@midlandsairambulance.com