Keep it legal

Games like raffles and sweepstakes can all be great ways to put a little fun in your fundraising. But they’re also some of the most regulated areas of fundraising.

The safest and easiest way to raise funds through a raffle is to hold an incidental raffle. This means a raffle that is held at another fundraising event. For this type of raffle, you can use “cloakroom” style tickets. There are some rules which you must adhere to:

What you must do:

• Only sell tickets at the event – anyone at the event can purchase a ticket.
• Only take £100 maximum out of the profits of the draw to cover costs and prizes. We recommend getting prizes donated so that you can maximise your fundraising.
• Hold the draw at the event itself.

What you must not do:

• Sell tickets before the event, or to people not attending the event.
• Apply Gift Aid to the money – legally, buying a ticket does not count as a donation.
• Rollovers are not permitted.

For more information on raffles, you can visit the Gambling Commission website.

Collecting money for Chailey Heritage Foundation? Great!  Here’s everything you need to know to stay within the guidelines.

Public collections

• You must have a licence from your local authority to collect funds in public places. You can apply for this on behalf of the charity, or we can do it for you. Some areas have a very limited number of licences to issue, so it’s best to ask us first.
• Collections have a minimum 28-day application timeline to process, and each council will have different rules and regulations. Please contact your local authority to find out more.
• If you are collecting on private property, you will need written permission from the landowner or manager.
• If you hold a collection for Chailey Heritage Foundation without a licence or proper permission, it may result in the charity losing future opportunities to collect donations in these places.

Collection tins

Collection tins or buckets will need to be supplied by us with security seals. We will be happy to supply you with what you need, so get in touch with us at fundraising@chf.org.uk. When the tins and buckets are full, simply return them to us and we’ll count them up and let you know how much you raised.

Collecting door-to-door

You are not allowed to collect funds by going door-to-door, even if you know the residents. The Fundraising Regulator has strict guidelines on who can carry out this type of fundraising. Only our authorised canvassers can do so on behalf of Chailey.

For more information, please visit the Institute of Fundraising website or contact us.

Please note that we can’t accept any responsibility for accident, injury, loss or damage as a result of your event. We therefore strongly recommend that you check that you have adequate insurance and take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of all concerned. You will also need to check any third-party supplier’s public liability insurance.

You can carry out a risk assessment to help you recognise the potential risks and hazards that your event may bring, and how you can minimise them.

To find more advice about health and safety, please visit the Institute of Fundraising

Your safety at an event is our greatest concern. If you are planning on collecting cash at an event, we recommend taking the following precautions:

• Regularly remove cash from your float/person and arrange to store it in a locked room
• When transporting cash/collecting tins and buckets to and from a venue try to do so without drawing attention to the monies. We recommend an old suitcase or shopping bag.
• Consider going cashless. We can set you up on our contactless donations account, which will allow you to take donations on your phone. It’s simple, quick and easy! Contact us at fundraising@chf.org.uk to find out more.