Charitable purpose soft-opt in: Latest update

Back in July we informed you of a major change in charity fundraising and how fundraisers will be allowed to connect with their supporters.

The soft opt-in is the new way for charities to send electronic mail marketing, and has been added to the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 but is not yet in force.

Since our update, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched a consultation on its approach to the charitable purpose soft opt-in. This consultation remains open until November 27th. Details can be found on their website New electronic mail marketing rules for charities – the ‘charitable purpose soft opt-in’ | ICO.

Be heard and get involved

While the information is primarily tailored for charities, the ICO encourages contributions and feedback from anyone with an interest in the subject. Your input will help shape updates to the ICO’s guidance and ensure it reflects this important change.

You can respond to the consultation via the ICO survey on Citizen Space.

For further advice and guidance on this topic, please contact Dan or Richard directly.