Fundraising Legalities

When handling money, make sure that you have plans in place to keep it somewhere safe and secure – perhaps a cash box with a lock or a sealed collection bucket. Never leave money unattended during an event.

Make sure that two people are present when counting and transporting money and get it to the bank or NorthCare Charity as soon as possible after the event. If holding the funds overnight, ensure money is kept in a safe. 

NorthCare Charity accepts no responsibility for the handling of monies until in receipt of the final donation.

You can encourage your supporters to Gift Aid their donation if they’re a UK taxpayer, which will enable us to claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated at no extra cost to you or the donor.

Be aware that some donations are not eligible for Gift Aid, including raffles or auctions. More information about Gift Aid can be found on the Government website.

If you are organising your own fundraising event in aid of NorthCare Charity, you are responsible for ensuring that the event poses no risk to others. Prior to your event, be sure to create your own Risk Assessment. We can provide a template for this if required.

If your event involves the general public, you will need Public Liability Insurance. It’s worth checking with your venue first, as they may already have insurance that covers your event. Insurance is often included in the hire fee, but not always.

Your fundraising will not be covered by the NorthCare Charity insurance policy so please seek advice if you are unsure.

Some activities require a license, including:

• providing alcohol or live music
• collecting money in a public place (see Collections for further information)
• holding a raffle, lotteries and prize draws (see Raffles, lotteries and prize draws for further information)

This list doesn’t cover everything, so please check with your local authority to see if a license is needed for your fundraising event and how to apply.

You must seek the permission of NorthCare Charity before applying for licenses or making arrangements for any public or private collections.

You may then need to seek permission or apply for a license from a local authority for collection.

• Public collections that take place in public spaces e.g. a local high street, are governed by strict legal requirements and must be licensed by the Local Authority.
• Private collections do not need the permission of the local authority. If you’re organising a private collection, for example at a supermarket, you need the permission of the owner of the premises.

Please note we DO NOT permit door-to-door collections in aid of NorthCare Charity.

Collection boxes and buckets must be sealed and clearly labelled with NorthCare Charity’s name and charity number [1049226].

There is strict guidance around holding raffles, lotteries and prize draws which can be found on the Gambling Commission website.

As a rule, if you are planning a raffle or another game of chance (such as a tombola or duck race) as part of an event, and tickets will only be sold at that event, you would not require a license for this. If, however, you wish to sell tickets in advance, or to people not attending the event, this would require a license, or an alternative such as a prize draw.

Make sure you get permission from anyone that you take a photograph of. You can do this by notifying guests in advance of the event and/or through signs at the location which state that you’ll be taking photographs throughout the event and to notify you if they do not want to be featured.

You will need permission from parents before taking photos of children, preferably written.

If there are children at your event, you should ensure that they have permission to take part and have someone to look after them. Adults looking after children should have carried out appropriate checks. See the Government's Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) information for more guidance.

If you’re holding an event involving lots of people, you will need to consider first aid cover. Organisations such as St. John Ambulance provide these services. As a basic guide, there should always be someone on hand to help for smaller events, but for larger events involving around 500 people, there should be a minimum of two qualified first-aiders on site.

The Food Standards Agency provides guidelines for preparing, handling and cooking food. If you are using a caterer, you will need to ensure they have a Food Hygiene Certificate and Public Liability Insurance.