Keeping it safe and legal

Fundraising is supposed to be fun (the clue is in the name), but you still have to make sure that your event or challenge follows the rules. If you don’t, your event might not end up being so fun after all.

Charity collections

There are a few things you need to be aware of when hosting a charity bucket collection.

First off, if you’re doing a public collection, such as in the street, you’ll need a licence from your local council. However, if your collection is on privately owned land or property, such as a shop, you won’t need a licence but will need to obtain permission from the business or land owner.

On the day, there are also a few rules you’ll need to follow:

  1. Don’t shake the buckets
  2. Don’t approach people and ask directly for money
  3. Make sure all buckets and collection tins are sealed and have lids
  4. Must not commence before 9am Monday-Saturday, or 10am Sunday and public holidays. It must also not continue after 7pm on any day; or as otherwise provided for in an IoF Compliance Directorate agreement.

Food hygiene

If you’re hosting a bake sale or a curry night, it’s important that you follow the Food Standards Agency’s guidelines when preparing and cooking your food. If you’ve hired caterers, just make sure they have the appropriate Food Hygiene Certificate.

You can find the guidelines at: food.gov.uk

Letter of authority

Whether you’re organising a raffle, or you’d like to hold your event in your local pub, to make sure everything runs smoothly we can supply you with a letter of authority. This letter simply states that your fundraising is legitimate, and means that acquiring prizes and a venue will be much easier.

Fundraising with children

If you’re fundraising with children, you must make sure that any children under the age of 16 are supervised by an adult at all times.

Advertising your event

When advertising your event around the town or online, you must state exactly who you’re fundraising for. This means you need to use the Leukaemia Care logo and charity number on your poster.

If the funds are being split between more than one charity, you must make this clear when advertising your event by using both logos and charity numbers. If you only use the Leukaemia Care logo, all funds must come to us and cannot be split.

Public liability insurance

If you’re hosting a public event such as a dog walk, you may need public liability insurance. This is in case of any injury, loss or damage to property that happens at your event. You will not be covered by the charities public liability insurance for a one-off event in aid of Leukaemia Care but insurance of this type can be secured for a relatively low-cost. To discuss public liability insurance, email or ring the team. 

Raffles

To hold a raffle without a licence, tickets must be sold and winners announced during the event. You should always make it clear who’s running the raffle, sell all the tickets for the same price and don’t allow discounts for bulk buys. 

Tickets should not be bought or sold by anyone under the age of 16. You can read the full rules and regulations at www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk

Risk Assessments

To hold a public event, you may need to complete a risk assessment. Although this can sound like a daunting task, a risk assessment is a basic record of who could be harmed and how, what you’re doing to control the risk, what further action you might need to take to control risks, who needs to carry out the action and when the action needs to be done. 

A member of the Leukaemia Care fundraising team may be able to provide you with a template of a risk assessment form or can guide you through filling in a form that is provided by a third party. 

Finally, the number one rule…

Have fun!

If you have any questions about fundraising rules and regulations, don’t hesitate to contact the Fundraising team on 01905 755 977, or fundraising@leukaemiacare.org.uk