SOS Children’s Villages UK has filed a serious incident report with the Charity Commission after undercover footage showed fundraisers working on its behalf appearing to break the fundraising code.
An investigation conducted by WalesOnline involved a reporter seeking work at two connected agencies called Vantage and Solution Cardiff.
The companies were raising funds for SOS Children’s Villages UK and the National Deaf Children’s Society.
The reporter undertook training and was taken out on door-to-door calls with other fundraisers, during which he secretly recorded footage of conversations with people on their doorsteps.
In one case, the representative tries to persuade an apparently confused older resident to sign up, only giving up when she is unable to provide a phone number, while another resident has to say four times she does not want to sign up before the rep finally leaves.
In another, he appears to falsely claim that other neighbours have signed up when none have, according to the footage.
A spokesperson for SOS Children’s Villages said the charity filed a serious incident report with the Charity Commission “when we were first made aware of the footage”.
The charity was continuing its investigations into the matter, the spokesperson said.
“We are not currently conducting, or planning to conduct, any similar fundraising activity.
“However, in light of these investigations we will review the contractual agreements, processes, checks and relationships we have in place with regards to this type of fundraising for any future campaigns, and ensure these are strengthened.”
WalesOnline reported that Vantage and Solution Cardiff had been subcontracted work from the SOS Children’s Villages through an organisation called The Hub Global, which had in turn been subcontracted via a company called Zen Fundraising.
A spokesperson for the National Deaf Children’s Society said it had not filed a serious incident report with the regulator.
“However, we will continue to assess the situation and will be in touch with the Charity Commission if we determine that one is required,” the spokesperson said.
“The recruiter in the video had already been identified by our ongoing monitoring in 2022 and banned from working for us at that stage.
“We have confirmed that this recruiter has not worked for us since then and so to the best of our knowledge did not work for us at the time of the investigation.
“We are confident of the controls we have in place, and are constantly reviewing these and working to drive up standards.”
A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “Public generosity can never be taken for granted, and trustees of all charities have a key role in overseeing their charity’s fundraising, ensuring it reflects their charity’s values.
“We can confirm that SOS Children’s Villages UK has reported a serious incident to us relating to these matters.
“We have engaged with trustees and received assurances that appropriate steps are being taken by the charity.”
The spokesperson said the regulator was “assessing information” in relation to the NDCS to determine any next steps.
The Charity Commission does not regulate fundraising companies.