Policy
Housing Justice’s complaints procedure also applies to any Third Parties fundraising on their behalf.
Housing Justice will respond to any complaints from donors, beneficiaries or other parties in a timely, respectful, open and honest way.
Housing Justice will ensure that the learnings from any complaints are acted upon.
Staff and volunteers are entitled to raise concerns if they are unhappy about fundraising methods being carried out by Housing Justice.
As a whistleblower you are protected by law. As explained in the gov.uk website, “whistleblowing” is when you’re a worker and you report certain types of wrongdoing. This will usually be something you’ve seen at work – though not always. The wrongdoing you disclose must be in the public interest. This means it must affect others, e.g.: the general public. As a whistleblower you’re protected by law – you shouldn’t be treated unfairly or lose your job because you ‘blow the whistle’. You can raise your concern at any time about an incident that happened in the past, is happening now, or you believe will happen in the near future.
Procedure
1.
To make a complaint about Housing Justice’s fundraising practice, you should initially contact Housing Justice:
-By telephone – on 020 3544 8094.
-In person – to a known member of staff who is not part of the Fundraising Team.
-In writing – please email [email protected] with the subject title “Fundraising Complaint”. A written complaint will be acknowledged within 5 working days of receipt. The person dealing with the complaint will seek to resolve it within 10 working days.
2.
If you are not satisfied with the initial response, you should raise the matter in writing with Chief Executive Officer . An acknowledgement will be sent within 5 working days of receipt. The Chief Executive will, in consultation with the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees (or in their absence another senior Trustee on the Fundraising sub-committee) investigate the circumstances leading to the complaint and respond as appropriate within 10 working days.
3.
If you are not satisfied with the response from the Chief Executive, you should raise the matter in writing with Chair of Trustees of Housing Justice. An acknowledgement will be sent within 5 working days of receipt. The Chair of the Board of Trustees will investigate the matter and respond within 10 working days.
4.
If these actions do not meet your concerns, The Fundraising Standards Board will investigate your complaint and report their findings to you within 30 days. If you are still dissatisfied, you can ask the Board of Directors of the Fundraising Standards Board to look again at your complaint. Their decision will be made within 60 days and will be final. Housing Justice agrees to abide by decisions made by the Fundraising Standards Board.
5.
Where your concerns relate to either of the following, you should contact the Charity Commission:
-dishonest handling of funds
-misapplication of charitable funds
-actions that contravene Housing Justice trust deed or charity law
-actions that threaten to bring Housing Justice into disrepute.
The Commission website has a ‘how to Complain’ section on their website, http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/how-to-complain/
Housing Justice aims to provide high quality services which meet your needs. We believe we achieve this most of the time: if we are getting it right please let us know.
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