The Information Commissioner’s Officer and the Fundraising Regulator are investigating complaints about a Christian charity’s use of an outdated mailing list, amid claims it was acquired from the Barnabas Fund.
It comes after the Charity Commission opened an inquiry into the TBF Trust, alongside three other charities that are also part of the Barnabas family.
According to information on the Barnabas Fund’s website, some Barnabas supporters received correspondence from the TBF Trust, which is run by founders and former directors of Barnabas Fund.
The former staff members were suspended and subsequently resigned from the Barnabas Fund last year after an internal report identified “serious and repeated contraventions of internal policies”.
The Barnabas Fund said that any correspondence sent to its supporters from the TBF Trust was not sent by the Barnabas Fund, with a spokesperson saying that those responsible were in possession of a historic mailing list, which was at least 10 years old, and were using it “without permission”.
The TBF Trust said it had gained the approval “of the majority of the current board of Barnabas Aid to use the mailing list”.
The Barnabas Fund spokesperson said the TBF Trust “inappropriately used personal data that was at least 10 years old”, adding: “We acknowledge the distress and confusion that the actions of Patrick Sookhdeo, Philip Richards and Caroline Kerslake have caused to so many current and former supporters.”
The spokesperson said the charity took supporters’ data privacy very seriously and immediately reported the incident to the ICO.
The ICO and the Fundraising Regulator confirmed that they had received complaints about correspondence received by supporters from the TBF and were assessing concerns.
A spokesperson for the ICO said: “Barnabas Fund has made us aware of an incident and we are assessing the information provided.”
The Fundraising Regulator has received two complaints about the TBF Trust, which a spokesperson said “are being considered”. The regulator was unable to comment further due to it being a live case.
When asked about the mailing list, a spokesperson for the TBF Trust said the list “originally belonged to the TBF Trust and was later developed by Barnabas Aid UK”.
The spokesperson said: “TBF Trust has sought and gained the approval of the majority of the current board of Barnabas Aid to use the mailing list.
“TBF Trust does not know on what authority Nexcus [the umbrella organisation that sits over the global Barnabas family] is using the mailing list started by TBF Trust and developed by Barnabas Aid.”
The spokesperson added that the TBF Trust “welcomes the current statutory inquiry by the Charity Commission”.