Fundraising complaints procedure

Your views are important to us and we take every complaint seriously.

As a member of the Fundraising Standards Board we are committed to high standards in all of our Fundraising activity, but we realise that sometimes we get things wrong and that not everyone will agree with what we do.

We welcome feedback because it enables us to improve the services we offer and helps us to improve our communication to you.

Please note that this procedure should not be used for complaints regarding our Bookgifting programmes or projects. If you have a comment or complaint regarding a specific service, please contact us via booktrustprogrammes@booktrust.org.uk

How to Complain

Stage 1 - Fundraising Team

You may send your complaint to us within 3 months of the incident in any of the following ways:

Call: our Fundraising Team on 020 8875 4826

Email: complaints@booktrust.org.uk

Write to: Fundraising Team, Booktrust, Book House, 45 East Hill, London, SW18 2QZ

We will try to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Whatever the complaint, you can expect us to respond within the following times:

phone calls will be acknowledged in writing within 7 working days;
emails will be acknowledged within 2 working days; and
we will provide an acknowledgement to letters within 7 working days.

You will be provided with the outcome of our investigation within 20 working days of receipt of your complaint.

Stage 2 - Appeal Panel

If you are still not satisfied with our response, please inform the Head of Fundraising at the above address.

Your complaint will then be passed to an independent member of the Senior Leadership Team who will set up an appeal panel, comprising of no fewer than three senior managers.

The panel will meet to review the complaint within the next 15 working days.

The Director leading the panel will then contact you with the panel's conclusions within 10 working days of the panel's review.

Stage 3 - The Fundraising Standards Board

In the event that you remain dissatisfied with the response you have received, you are entitled to take your complaint to the Fundraising Standards Board within 2 months of receiving our response.

This is an independent body that works to ensure that charities raising money from the public do so honestly and properly.

Booktrust is a member of the Fundraising Standards Board and we are therefore committed to abide by any decision they reach on complaints which are escalated to them.

Their contact details for England are:

The Fundraising Standards Board, 61 London Fruit Exchange, Brushfield Street, London E1 6EP

Tel: 0845 402 5442
Email: info@frsb.org.uk

Their contact details for Wales are:

Fundraising Standards Board, PO Box 564, Swansea, SA8 9AG

Tel: 0845 026 8931
Email: simonb@frsb.org.uk

Their contact details for Scotland and Northern Ireland are:

Fundraising Standards Board, 1st Floor, Thistle House, 91 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5HE

Tel: 0845 688 9894
Email: infoscotland@frsb.org.uk