Fundraising complaints

We are very grateful to hear from people who take the time to tell us about their concerns if they believe we are not meeting the high standards they expect from us.  We will respond as quickly as possible to complaints, take actions to resolve the situation, and put appropriate measures in place to try to prevent a similar issue from happening again.

A concern or a complaint? 

• Many concerns, such as how often we write to supporters, can be resolved quickly following a conversation with one of our fundraising team. We do not view these communications as complaints but will always respond to them promptly
• A complaint is a more formal expression of dissatisfaction. It is a statement from a supporter or member of the public that our fundraising is unsatisfactory or unacceptable. If there is any doubt we will contact the person concerned to ascertain whether they are making a formal complaint

What is our approach to anyone making a complaint?

• We will always listen and treat complainants with respect and courtesy
• We will seek to resolve complaints objectively and honestly

How will we go about trying to resolve your complaint? 

• We aim to resolve all complaints as quickly and as effectively as possible and will always seek to keep you updated as to the progress of your complaint 
• The supporter care team in fundraising will let you know they have received your complaint within two working days and will try to bring it to a satisfactory resolution for both parties within 10 working days 
• Where this is not possible the complaint will be escalated to the Chief Executive for review and a decision on any further proposed action 
• If it is still not possible to bring the complaint to a satisfactory resolution then the Chief Executive will notify the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and may decide to ask them to act as final charity arbiter for any complaint 
• If after 30 days of submitting your complaint, you feel that your fundraising complaint has been unresolved by us then the Fundraising Regulator, an independent organisation that oversees fundraising can investigate your complaint.  
• You can also contact the Fundraising Regulator to complain in the first instance but it is likely that they will refer you back to the charity to try to seek a resolution.

How can you get in touch with us? 

You can contact us by phone, email or by post and we will respond to you using the same method unless you tell us otherwise.

• By phone: +44 (0)1953 497 239. Our Supporter Services Team will be ready and willing to help. Our phone lines are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.00pm. Calls may be recorded for training purposes. If you can only call us outside these hours, or if all of our lines are busy, you can leave us a message with your contact number and a member of the team will return your call the next working day.
• By email: info@worldhorsewelfare.org
• By post:
  Supporter Services
  World Horse Welfare
  Anne Colvin House
  Snetterton
  Norfolk
  NR16 2LR

Unfortunately we are unable to accept complaints through message boards or Social Media. Please include your name and relevant contact details in your email or letter so that we can get back in touch with you quickly and easily.

Details of the complaints procedure for the Fundraising Regulator are available: 

• Online: www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk 
• By post:
  Fundraising Regulator
  2nd floor, CAN Mezzanine Building
  49-51 East Road 
  London
  N1 6AH
• By phone:  +44 (0)300 999 3404 

When would we not respond to a complaint? 

There will be some occasions when we may not be able to respond fully. 
These include: 

• When a complaint is illegible or incoherent 
• If a complaint concerns an issue that happened more than three months ago as it is very difficult to investigate these thoroughly once time has passed 
• When a complainant is being abusive or offensive or harassing one of our employees or volunteers 
• When a complaint has been sent as part of a mass communication to us and many other charities 
• When a complaint is made anonymously.  At our discretion, we may decide to investigate the complaint and use the information to improve if we can, but we obviously cannot respond directly 
• When we believe that we have already responded to a complaint in line with our complaints procedure

Online dispute resolution (ODR) 

The European ODR platform allows consumers, operators and ADR providers to file, respond to, and handle disputes online (including disputes where the operator and consumer are in different countries within the EU). Please click here for more information.

Alternative dispute resolution 

World Horse Welfare has chosen The ADR Group to handle disputes which are unable to be resolved.

ADR Group
160 Fleet Street 
London 
EC4A 2DQ
London 

Tel: 020 3600 5050 

info@adrgroup.co.uk 

www.adrgroup.co.uk