Charity Fundraising Regulations

Charity fundraising is regulated by law, and there are fundraising Codes of Practice you must follow if they are relevant to your event or activity. 

The following websites are important 

• Charity Commission for England & Wales https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission 
• Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) - https://www.oscr.org.uk/ 
• Charity Commission for Northern Ireland - https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/ 

If you are fundraising in the Channel Islands (Guernsey & Alderney, Jersey,  Isle of Man), Ireland (Republic of Ireland) or elsewhere in the world, other rules may apply.

• https://charitycommissioner.je/ 
• https://www.charitiesregulator.ie/en 
• http://www.guernseyregistry.com/charities 
• https://www.gov.im/charities 

Recording data and information

If you are keeping electronic (including email, web forms and social messages eg WhatsApp or Messenger) or paper records about people involved in your fundraising event, you must also ensure you comply with data protection law.  

3 key principles to consider:  

1. Don’t collect information you don’t need (eg do you really need a date of birth etc) 

2. Don’t keep information longer than you need to 

3. Don’t share information about someone without their permission (eg with a supplier) 

You can find out more about UK data protection via the Information Commissioners Office - https://ico.org.uk/. If you are in the Channel Islands, Ireland or elsewhere in the world, you may have your own regulation you need to comply with.  

Handling Money

Public Collections

If you are going to collect money in a public space, you must obtain a licence from your local authority. Sometimes these licenses are restricted and only so many will be granted to an organisation within a year, so do check. If you want to find out if there is an organised collection already planned in your area before you apply, please ask the Family Holiday Charity team (hello@familyholidaycharity.org.uk). You need branded collection tins or boxes so people can be confident you are legitimately collecting for Family Holiday Charity.  These will be provided to you if you ask for them, along with instructions for how to seal the tins and manage the collection. 

You will also need to check if you need to have public liability insurance for your collection, as some local authorities may ask for this to be in place, in addition to obtaining the license. 

Private collections 

If you are collecting money on private premises (eg your workplace), you do not need permission from the local authority. Instead you will need permission from the premises owner before you undertake any fundraising. They may require you to have public liability insurance in place.  

Door to door collections

Family Holiday Charity strongly discourages fundraising through door-to-door collections (including collecting from business premises and pubs). Primarily, we are concerned for the safety and wellbeing of those fundraising for us, but also, we have concerns over reputation and public trust in this kind of fundraising.  

Collecting and handling cash

Please put plans in place to make sure you are safe if you are planning to handle or collect cash. This could include making sure cash is collected in sealed fundraising boxes or kept in a lockable box. You are strongly recommended to ensure that no one working with cash, either to collect, count or bank money does so alone.  

If you are approached by someone trying to steal cash, please don’t put up a fight – just hand it over and then call the police to report it as a crime. Your safety and wellbeing are really important to us.  

Read more about how to behave when fundraising in the Fundraising Code (8.1 Collecting money or other property) via: https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/code/specific-fundraising-methods/collecting-money-or-other-property 

This includes behaving in an appropriate way, for example not making anyone feel uncomfortable or anxious, behaving inappropriately, not making people feel guilty if they cannot donate, or ‘harassing’ them to donate (shaking your bucket or tin, for example, or following someone around).  

Paying in your fundraising

Money from an event or collections should be paid to the charity within 5 working days of the event ending or of monies being received by you.  You may need to pay in fundraising in more than one transaction if money comes in from activity after your event, for example.  

We will issue a receipt and letter of acknowledgement which you can then use and share as proof or evidence that the donations you received have been passed on to the charity.  

It’s important that money is banked quickly not only for your own safety but so that the public maintains trust in the charity, and in you as the person having helped to raise the funds.  

If you are unable to pay in your funds in 5 working days, you must have a prior agreement with us about when and how funds raised to support the Family Holiday Charity will be transferred to support our work. 

To pay in your fundraising visit this webpage: https://familyholidaycharity.org.uk/do-something/fundraise-us/pay-your-fundraising

'Guess My Time' Sweepstake Guidelines 

Guess My Time Sweepstake can be a fun way to collect contributions towards your fundraising target, but there are some basic rules that you must follow first:

1. The entry price must be the same for all participants.
2. You need to decide before hosting your competition if the entry money will be split between the winner and the Charity, or if you are going to have a separate prize with all entry fees going to the Charity. Whichever approach you take, participants must be informed before they enter.
3. The host cannot make a profit (i.e. funds must be donated).
4. Office sweepstakes can only take place in one office with people in the same premises.
5. You must not sell entry on the street or house-to-house.

Using the charity logo

Any materials promoting or supporting your fundraising event in aid of Family Holiday Charity must state clearly that you are fundraising in aid of Family Holiday Charity. The form of words is legally defined and is to protect both you and the charity.  

If you need any materials to support your event, please get in touch and we'll let you know what's available for 'In Aid of...' events.  

Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk

It is vital that you consider the safeguarding of children and adults at risk attending to take part in or just to watch your event.  A part of this is ensuring your event is well supervised, with specific consideration if children are involved. If a child would like to take part in your event, ensure you have written permission from a parent or guardian. You should also review Family Holiday Charity Safeguarding Policy.

Public Liability Insurance

If you are organising your own fundraising event in aid of Family Holiday Charity, you may need Public Liability Insurance. This will protect you against claims around injury, property damage and other problems that may arise. Do remember that Family Holiday Charity does not have any liability for the event, related accidents, damage, or any losses, even when the event is run to raise money for the charity.

When hiring a venue, insurance is sometimes included in the hire fee, but do check this, and check if any equipment you hire is covered.   

Food and Drink

If you are planning to have food or drink at your event, it's important to follow the rules for the safe handling of food. There are basic guidelines you can follow for the safe preparation, handling, storage, cooking of food. You should also clearly label food for the benefit of allergy sufferers and people with specific dietary requirements.  

In England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Northern Ireland, please visit Food Standards Agency (https://www.food.gov.uk/) and in Scotland Food Standards Scotland (https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/).  

Please ensure you are clear about any requirements to have a license or permission to sell food or soft drink in a public place.  

If you are using a professional caterer, check they have Public Liability Insurance and are certified in the safe handling of food. 

Alcohol

Strict rules govern the sale of or provision of alcohol at events and activities. Please refer to your local authority for the necessary information or permissions. See also Licenses below. 

First Aid

There are lots of factors that may mean you need to consider first aid requirements at your event. How many people are coming? Is it a high risk activity (eg swimming, running)?  Start by writing your risk assessment and identify the risks. This will help you decide if you need a first aid trained person on hand or need to engage the services of a professional first aid provider.     

If you are using a venue for your activity, check whether the venue has first aid cover. 

If you need to engage the services of a professional, check their credentials – are they endorsed by the Care Quality Commission, or affiliated with other regulatory bodies?  

Licences

Music

If you are intending to play live or recorded music you may need a licence.  In the UK, please check with PPL-PRS - https://pplprs.co.uk/ and also check if you need a public entertainment license (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/entertainment-licensing-changes-under-the-live-music-act).  

Alcohol

If you are serving alcohol you may need to apply for a licence if your chosen venue doesn’t have one in place. It will depend on where you are and how many people are attending.   

In England and Wales you may need temporary events notice via your local authority. In Scotland and Northern Ireland you may need an Occasional Licence (https://www.gov.uk/occasional-licence-scotland, https://www.gov.uk/occasional-licence-northern-ireland)  

Raffles and Auctions

Strict laws apply to raising money via raffles and lotteries and they usually require a licence. Check with your local authority to find out how to make an application. You can read more about activities and types of licence via the Gambling Commission website.

Filming & Photography

If you are intending to photograph or video your event you will need to tell people attending and display a clear notice that tells people you are taking photographs or video.  You must clearly specify how people who do not want to be photographed of filmed can opt out and tell you they do not want to feature. You must comply with their request and ensure anything you publish does not feature them, or they are obscured in any images you publish.

Risk Assessments

Completing a risk assessment is best practice for anyone involved in organising an event.  The process is helpful to make sure you have everything in place to keep everyone safe and healthy, as well as making sure you are compliant around safeguarding, insurance etc. 

The purpose of a risk assessment is to identify any hazards and put in place measures to reduce or manage the risks to anyone working at the event, taking part in it or attending.  There is excellent advice on how to do this via the Health & Safety Executive for UK, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.  

Make sure everyone involved in the event is aware of any potential risks, or requirements for taking part – such as being fit for a race or having undertaken training – or any specialist equipment needed.  

If you are working with third party suppliers, you can ask to see their risk assessments, health and safety documentation and public liability insurance before you start working with them.  

Also note that Family Holiday Charity cannot accept responsibility for the safe conduct of your fundraising event activities. As the organiser, you must ensure that the necessary steps are taken to protect the health and safety of event participants, spectators and those working at or volunteering at the event. This includes carrying out risk assessments, providing necessary safety equipment and the supervision of spectators and participants. We reserve the right to advise against your fundraising activity or event if we consider it to be too high risk, or a potential risk to our reputation or against our values.