Complaints Policy

Charity for Civil Servants is committed to delivering a high standard of service to anyone who engages with our work. We are keen to hear from anyone who believes we have fallen short of the high standards we set ourselves.

You can provide your feedback in writing or by email to the Director of Strategic Marketing and Income Generation at Charity for Civil Servants, 5 Anne Boleyn’s Walk, Cheam, Sutton, Surrey SM3 8DY.

Complaints must be received within three calendar months of event or incident. We will acknowledge and send an initial response to your feedback within 10 working days of receiving it. This will include a clear summary of the procedures we use to address complaints.

Whilst we expect to be able to resolve most complaints within that timeframe, if we need to conduct a more in-depth investigation, we will aim to provide you with a full response within 20 working days. If we are unable to meet that deadline due to exceptional circumstances, we will of course let you know.

Procedure

Stage 1: On receipt of the confirmed complaint, all relevant documents are referred to the first level of management (not previously involved with the complainant) within the Charity, the complaint logged on the Charities database and a review of the allegation is conducted. Such a review includes consideration of whether actions were in accordance with the Charities procedures. Papers in respect of a complaint are referred to the first stage of management responsible for the subject area of the complaint (i.e. central fundraising, donor care or regional teams). Following the review, the decision is communicated to the complainant and the outcome is logged on the database. The Director of Strategic Marketing and Income Generation reviews the complaints database on a monthly basis.

Stage 2: If the complaint remains unresolved, or the complainant remains dissatisfied, one of the Fund’s Directors (other than the Director of Strategic Marketing and Income Generation) reviews the complaint. A complainant at this stage is invited to provide any additional evidence to support their complaint and will be asked to provide such information within 10 working days.

Stage 3: Should the complainant remain dissatisfied with the Stage 2 review, the Chief Executive will consider all the circumstances of the complaint and their decision is the final stage of the internal process.

If your complaint is about our fundraising activities and we are unable to resolve it to your satisfaction within 30 days, complainants can refer their complaint to the Fundraising Regulator. They should raise their concerns to the Fundraising Regulator within 90 days of the fundraising incident or communication and can ask the self regulator for fundraising in the UK to consider it by:

• Submitting your complaint through the Fundraising Regulator website www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk
• Writing to the Fundraising Regulator: Fundraising Regulator, 2nd Floor, CAN Mezzanine Building, 49-51 East Road, London N1 6AH
• Telephone: 0300 999 3407
• Charity for Civil Servants is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and we agree to abide by its decisions. Please note that the Fundraising Regulator can only consider complaints received within three months of the original incident.

The Fundraising Regulator will investigate your complaint. The time taken to investigate will depend on the complexity of the case, however, they aim to complete investigations within 13 weeks of receipt.