Complaints Policy

1. Our Commitment

Hayat Charity is committed to delivering the highest standards of service to our donors, supporters, partners, and the communities we serve. We take all complaints seriously, handle them fairly and confidentially, and use feedback to improve our work.

If you are unhappy with any aspect of our work, fundraising, communications, or conduct, we want to hear from you.

2. What Is a Complaint?

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our organisation, staff, volunteers, partners, or any service we provide, where a response or resolution is expected.

This includes complaints about:

• The way we have treated you or others
• Our fundraising activities or communications
• How we have used donations
• The conduct of our staff, volunteers, or representatives
• Our programmes or operations overseas
• Our website or publications

3. How to Make a Complaint

You can submit a complaint by:

• Email: info@hayatcharity.org.uk (please mark the subject line “Complaint”)
• Post: Hayat Charity, Bartle House, Oxford Court, Manchester, M2 3WQ
• Phone: Contact us via email to arrange a call

Please provide as much detail as possible, including:

• Your name and contact details
• A clear description of your complaint
• When and how the issue occurred
• What outcome you are seeking

4. How We Will Handle Your Complaint

Stage 1 — Acknowledgement

We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days of receiving it.

Stage 2 — Investigation

Your complaint will be reviewed by a senior member of staff. We aim to provide a full written response within 20 working days. If the matter is complex and requires more time, we will keep you informed of progress.

Stage 3 — Resolution

Our response will set out our findings and any actions we are taking. If your complaint is upheld, we will apologise and explain what we will do differently.

5. If You Are Not Satisfied

If you are unhappy with our response at Stage 2, you may request a review by a Trustee. Please write to us within 10 working days of receiving our response, explaining why you remain dissatisfied.
A Trustee will review the complaint and provide a final written response within 20 working days.

6. Escalating to External Bodies

If you remain dissatisfied after our internal process is exhausted, you may contact:

The Charity Commission for England and Wales Website: charitycommission.gov.uk Helpline: 0300 066 9197

The Charity Commission can investigate concerns about serious mismanagement or misconduct but does not act as an appeals body for every complaint.
The Fundraising Regulator If your complaint relates to fundraising activity: Website: fundraisingregulator.org.uk

7. Anonymous Complaints

We accept anonymous complaints and will investigate them as far as is reasonably possible. However, without contact details we may not be able to update you on the outcome.

8. Confidentiality

All complaints are handled confidentially. Information will only be shared with those who need to know in order to investigate and resolve the matter.

9. Record Keeping

We keep a record of all complaints received and the outcomes. This helps us identify patterns and continuously improve our work. These records are reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees.

10. Contact Us

To submit a complaint or ask questions about this process:

Hayat Charity Bartle House, Oxford Court, Manchester, M2 3WQ Email: info@hayatcharity.org.uk