Face‑to‑face fundraising
Talking to you, making a difference
Face-to-face fundraising is where professional fundraisers speak to members of the public about supporting the National Autistic Society.
You may see one of our friendly fundraisers out and about in your community and knocking on doors. These conversations help us to raise vital funds and awareness, so we can continue supporting autistic people and their families across the UK.
How your support helps
Thanks to supporters like you, we can:
- Provide life-changing advice and support
- Campaign for better public understanding of autism
- Influence policy so autistic people get the rights and services they deserve
Every conversation helps raise awareness even if you don’t donate.
Where our door-to-door fundraisers operate
- Here’s a list of where we’re currently fundraising; this is updated every Monday by midday (unless it falls on a bank holiday, in which case the list will be updated the next working day).
Locations are sorted alphabetically by postcode.
Your choice, your control
We are committed to ethical fundraising. This means:
- We will never pressure you to donate
- You can ask our fundraisers to leave at any time
- You can choose how and when we contact you
- You can cancel a direct debit whenever you wish
If you're not comfortable donating on the spot, our fundraisers are happy to signpost you to our website so you can support us in your own time.
Frequently asked questions
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Our face-to-face fundraisers are professional, trained representatives authorised to fundraise on behalf of the National Autistic Society. They work for a reputable fundraising agency who follow the Fundraising Regulator’s code of fundraising practice.
All fundraisers:
- Carry official photo ID
- Can clearly explain our work and how your donation helps
- Are trained to treat everyone with respect, empathy, and transparency
If you’re unsure, you can always take time to check their ID or contact us directly to verify a fundraiser.
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Our fundraisers may ask if you would consider making a regular monthly donation by direct debit
Regular gifts help us plan ahead and provide stable support for:
- Autistic children, adults, and families
- Our online community and advice services
- Education, training, and campaigning for better understanding and inclusion
There is never any obligation to donate, and our fundraisers will always respect your decision.
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Face-to-face fundraising is an essential part of our fundraising programme.
It enables fundraisers to engage with members of the public to raise awareness of the work we do, as well as find new supporters, whose regular donations are so important in supporting the National Autistic Society’s work.
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- Monday to Saturday
- 9am - 8pm
All our face-to-face fundraisers’ work hours are in accordance with the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Practice. Hours are subject to change around bank holidays and national events.
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Yes. We pay our professional fundraising agencies (who appoint the fundraisers) a fixed rate for every person who signs up to become regular supporter of the National Autistic Society. They in turn pay their fundraisers. Each agency has different wage structures in how they pay their fundraisers.
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We use external agencies to help us carry out our essential fundraising. The agencies we work with have the infrastructure necessary to run national campaigns on the scale we need. We have also found this to be the most effective use of money, something which is constantly reviewed, including by our Board of Trustees. By partnering with these specialised agencies, we can ensure that as many of our resources as possible are directed towards supporting autistic individuals and their families.
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Following the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Practice, National Autistic Society Charity fundraisers will not fundraise in an official No Cold Calling Zone or Controlled Cold Calling Zone (NCCZ/CCCZ.). These are zones where all door-to-door cold calling activities are restricted by the local council and trading standards.
In some areas, unofficial signs have been put up to deter fraudsters. In these areas our fundraisers are permitted to fundraise, however if a member of the public mentions an NCCZ/CCCZ, regardless of whether it is official, our fundraisers have been trained to leave.
If you have found this to not be the case, please do inform us immediately by emailing supportercare@nas.org.uk. To check whether your local NCCZ/CCCZ sign is official, please contact your local council.
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The health and safety of our supporters and fundraisers is our top priority. We follow all government and sector guidance to make sure our door-to-door fundraising activity is as safe as possible.
We encourage our fundraisers to be considerate about hygiene and safety by adhering to the below:
- Our fundraisers are advised to carry a personal supply of hand sanitiser/anti-bacterial gel and use it regularly.
- When approaching any members of the public, fundraisers will always ensure they socially distance as much as is appropriate.
- Our fundraisers are taught to offer contactless sign-up options wherever possible.
- They will also ideally carry a face mask and should a member of public request one is worn for the conversation to continue, they will put a face mask on. If they don't have a face mask and are asked to wear one, they will step away or leave at the member of the public’s discretion.
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We take our responsibilities to vulnerable people very seriously and have strict measures in place to protect them. All our fundraisers are briefed and trained in how to identify someone who may be potentially vulnerable and what action to take if a person is suspected to be in a vulnerable situation. Our training reflects industry best practice.
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Any personal information, bank details and contact preferences that you give to fundraisers will be kept completely confidential.
Our fundraisers will only ever ask for non-sensitive information, such as your sort code and account number. A legitimate National Autistic Society fundraiser will never ask you for sensitive banking information, such as your 16-digit card number or security number.
All our fundraisers receive guidance and training on data protection and are trained to adhere to the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Practice. National Autistic society and all its fundraising agencies are members of both the Chartered Institute of Fundraising and the Fundraising Regulator and follow their guidelines on all fundraising practices. If you want to find out more about how we use personal data, please view our privacy notice or email dataprotection@nas.org.uk.
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The fundraiser that you spoke to should have made you aware that you would receive a welcome call after signing up to make a regular donation. This call is to thank you for choosing to support the charity, confirm some of your details and ask for your feedback on the fundraiser you spoke to. These calls will come from 07533 505245.
The caller will ask you to confirm the month and year of your birth, and the first line of your address and your postcode, prior to continuing the call for data protection reasons. They will not ask for any sensitive bank details during this call.
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At National Autistic Society we are committed to ensuring high quality of our fundraising activity. We ensure that our fundraising is carried out according to the standards outlined by the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice.
All fundraisers working on behalf of National Autistic Society are on a regular training programme made up of sessions throughout the year to cement their fundraising and charity knowledge. We also personally observe our fundraisers in action frequently to ensure that our charity values are upheld.
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Following the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Practice, National Autistic Society Charity fundraisers will not fundraise in an official No Cold Calling Zone or Controlled Cold Calling Zone (NCCZ/CCCZ.). These are zones where all door-to-door cold calling activities are restricted by the local council and trading standards.
In some areas, unofficial signs have been put up to deter fraudsters. In these areas our fundraisers are permitted to fundraise, however if a member of the public mentions an NCCZ/CCCZ, regardless of whether it is official, our fundraisers have been trained to leave.
If you have found this to not be the case, please do inform us immediately by emailing supportercare@nas.org.uk. To check whether your local NCCZ/CCCZ sign is official, please contact your local council.
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To ensure that no fundraiser visits your property, please place a No Cold Calling sticker near the entrance of your home so that it’s visible to anyone who approaches. It is required by the Fundraising Regulator’s code that fundraisers cannot knock on a door/contact the owners of a property which has a sign explicitly stating: “No Cold Calling”, “No Fundraisers” or “No Charities”.
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If you have any feedback, then please get in touch. If this is a complaint it will help our investigation if you can include:
- Details of the incident
- The date and time of the incident
- Your name and location of the incident (your home’s postcode or the private site you were at)
- Your telephone number or email address
- Fundraiser’s name and ID number and/or description of the fundraiser(s)
- Any captured pictures or footage of the incident
Please email our Supporter Relations team at supportercare@nas.org.uk
To find out more about how we process and respond to feedback and complaints, please read our complaints procedure or contact us.
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If you have any questions or concerns not answered in these FAQs, or if you wish to amend or cancel your Direct Debit, please contact our Supporter care team on 0808 800 1050 (Monday–Friday, 10am–3pm) or email supportercare@nas.org.uk
The Fundraising Regulator is the independent regulator of charitable fundraising. All face-to-face fundraising is regulated by the Fundraising Regulator and its corresponding rulebooks.
The Fundraising Regulator is responsible for ensuring organisations are following the Fundraising code of Practice, and works with charities, professional fundraising organisations and local authorities to minimise complaints and ensure high standards of fundraising are adhered to.