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Fundraisers ‘cold-call' parishioners

Volunteers in the Archdiocese of Westminster - working as part of an operation devised by an American fundraising firm - stand accused of cold-calling parishioners with private information about their previous charitable giving, as part of a major fundraising initiative in the Archdiocese of Westminster called Growing in Faith.

In a letter to The Tablet, parishioner Bryan Bergomes has complained that he was telephoned by a volunteer fundraiser from his parish who knew exactly how much he had donated via the archdiocese's "planned giving" system. According to a form signed by donors, supplied information is "strictly confidential".

In a statement, the archdiocese stresses that cold-calling should not take place during the fundraising campaign and that parish volunteers should not have access to "planned giving" data.

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