Charities should campaign “with tolerance and kindness”, the chair of the regulator said today.
Orlando Fraser, who took over the role in April, also told the Charity Commission’s annual public meeting that trustees should ensure any political activity is “the prudent thing to do” when charities faced so much financial pressure.
The speech coincided with the launch of a new short guide by the regulator about charities and political campaigning, which Fraser described as one of a series of “difficult contemporary issues” facing the sector.
He said: “We live in times of significant challenge and indeed of turmoil, and we can expect that political debates will come into all of our lives in the months and years ahead.
“We should expect vigorous exchanges about what is needed from government at this time. I fully expect charities to be a part of this conversation.”
In an apparent reference to comments by a former government minister earlier this month telling charities not to get involved in politics, Fraser said: “The law does not agree with those who say that charities should simply not dabble in politics at all.”
He stressed the importance of existing guidance that charities must avoid party political campaigning.
In July, Fraser told Third Sector that it was important the commission maintained its independence “not just of the government but of the sector”.
At today’s event he urged the sector to draw on “charitable kindness”, saying: “Charities can model a different kind of public discourse than the aggression we sometimes sadly see from the party political debate.
“They can help teach others how to inspire and inform rather than stifle and poison reasoned debate. They should campaign with vigour and energy, yes, but I believe they should also do so with tolerance and kindness.
“Charities should seek to win people over, draw people to their cause, work to persuade those whose starting allegiances and perspectives may be different, and indeed initially hostile to their cause.”
Asked if Fraser was referring to a belief that charities had “stifled and poisoned reasoned debate”, the commission said this was a broader reference to party political debate and did not allude to any specific charity’s activities.