Telephone fundraisers FAQs
Do you have a question about our telephone fundraising. Take a look at our frequently asked questions answered below.
We only contact individuals who have supported us in the past or who have expressed an interest in supporting the Fund. We do not contact individuals who have opted out of receiving fundraising calls. We will only call individuals registered with the Telephone Preference Service if we have explicit consent to do so.
Yes. The telephone fundraising company we work with, Angel, operates in accordance with strict regulations and industry standards, including guidance from the Fundraising Regulator and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Our calling teams follow strict guidelines set by industry bodies and the RAF Benevolent Fund. We only call during permitted hours, which are typically 9 am-9 pm, including bank holidays and weekends.
Sometimes we try calling a few times, if we haven’t been able to reach you. We just don’t want you to miss the chance to hear from us if you have expressed interest in supporting us. Once someone answers, we make a note, so we don’t call again for that campaign.
Telephone fundraisers must confirm a supporter is 18 years old or over, as it is illegal to ask a minor for a financial commitment. Our minimum age requirement may vary between campaigns, but everyone is welcome to support us in other ways if they cannot complete a telephone sign-up.
We request bank details (account number and sort code) to set up a regular gift by direct debit. All data is handled securely and we do not record the section of the call where bank details are given. Once the agent submits your bank details, they cannot go back and access them again. The details are then included in an encrypted export file shared with our trusted third-party provider, Elovate, for the sole purpose of processing the agreed gift. While the bank details appear in the export, the file itself is encrypted and password protected. Elevate has been vetted to ensure it meets rigorous data protection and security standards, and it is not permitted to use your information for any other purpose. More information can be found in our privacy policy.
Angel, our telephone fundraising provider, also accepts one-off cash gifts over the phone by credit and debit card. We do not record the section of the call where card details are given. We use secure, ISOapproved software, and your bank and card details are not stored at any point. Instead, they are instantly encrypted within the secure payment system, ensuring they cannot be viewed or retrieved by the agent or by Angel.
All telephone fundraisers receive extensive training before making calls, including specific modules on recognising vulnerability and responding appropriately. We also carry out quality checks and review calls regularly to ensure safe and ethical fundraising. Our agents are trained to identify verbal cues that may suggest vulnerability and follow clear protocols if any concerns arise.
We currently work with a third-party agency called Angel, a trusted third-party telephone fundraising agency that employs professional fundraisers to call on our behalf.
Angel is an experienced telephone fundraising agency trained to recognise cues of discomfort and step back immediately so that all interactions feel respectful and comfortable. We follow the Code of Fundraising Practice and regularly review calls to improve and avoid this occurrence.
If you would not like to be contacted, you can opt out of any further correspondence by contacting our fundraising team at hello@rafbf.org.uk or calling us on 020 7580 8343.
If you would like to get in touch with us regarding our telephone fundraising, please email us at hello@rafbf.org.uk or call us on 020 7580 8343. We aim to respond to all queries, feedback, or complaints within 2 working days.
The Fund’s challenge events are open to anyone, whether you have any link to the RAF or not.
Please head to the specific event page and click on ‘sign up’. You will then be asked to complete a form with your personal details and pay your registration fee. A number of the events also have another form you need to complete for the organisers to confirm your place with them and you will be sent details separately of how to do this and the deadline by which to do it.
For each event, there is usually both a registration fee and a minimum sponsorship target. These vary from event to event so please check the specific event page for the full details.
We ask each participant to make sure before they sign up that they are confident of raising the minimum sponsorship and have plans of how to do so. We ask for the full sponsorship amount to be in by six weeks after the event so you have plenty of time for your fundraising. If you have not raised the full amount, we do ask you to consider making up the shortfall yourself so the RAF Benevolent Fund can continue to support members of the RAF Family.
If you can no longer take part, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can see if another supporter is able to take the place. For most events we are able to defer your place over to the following year but we cannot guarantee this.
Please contact us at challenge@rafbf.org.uk and we’ll be happy to help.