Keep it legal
The first rule of fundraising is to have a great time, but there are a few others you need to bear in mind too. Here’s how to keep everything above board.
If you collect money, give us a call first. We’ll take you through the basics and send you collection tins and seals. The key things to remember are:
- You have to be 18 in London and 16 everywhere else to collect money.
- If you are planning a collection on private property – like a shop or train station – you need to get permission from the owner.
- You need a licence from your local authority or police to collect donations on the street or any other public property.
If you organise a raffle or lottery...
• You can’t sell tickets to anyone under 16.
• You’ll need to apply to your local authority or council for a licence if you want to run a public raffle or lottery.
• You don’t need a licence for a private raffle or lottery, as long as tickets are only sold to staff at a workplace or members of a club.
• You don’t need a licence for a raffle at a social event, as long as the raffle isn’t the only reason for the event, you sell tickets where the raffle is held and you draw and announce winners at the event.
If you’re putting on a spread...
• Everyone involved in preparing and serving food needs a basic understanding of food hygiene.
• You need an alcohol licence from your local authority to sell alcohol.
• You don’t need a licence for a raffle at a social event, as long as the raffle isn’t the only reason for the event. You sell tickets where the raffle is held and you draw and announce winners at the event.
If you’re putting on a show...
• You might need a Public Entertainments Licence from your local authority if you’re organising entertainment (like music, dancing or a film screening) at a venue that doesn’t already have a licence. Licences are free for charity events.
Don’t forget health and safety...
• Do a risk assessment for any fundraising events, looking at how risks can be reduced and what’s in place to keep everything safe and to deal with emergencies.
• Don’t do solo endurance events without the right support team. Take the time to thoroughly consider your safety and make sure you’ve got adequate back-up.
• Make sure you keep things safe and legal. We can’t be held responsible if you don’t, and we really don’t want you getting into trouble.
You might need insurance...
• Venues usually have their own insurance, but check whether the public are covered.
• You can’t use our public liability insurance to cover your own events.
• We can’t accept any liability for events you organise, so it is important to sort out appropriate insurance cover.
Our logo
Make sure you only use our branded fundraising materials (in print or electronic form) for fundraising that you have already registered with us.
Please don’t use these materials for any other activities without first letting us know.