Many of our societies fundraise for a variety of charities – it's a great way for your society to engage members and make a difference!

This article outlines everything you need to know to fundraise appropriately

Summary: How to Fundraise Appropriately

1. Check you’re fundraising for a UK registered charity

2. Your fundraiser must be appropriately risk assessed (see guidance below)

3. Your fundraiser must follow the Code of Fundraising Practice (hyperlinked)

4. Your fundraiser must be legal, open, honest and respectful

5. Keep records of your advertisements (e.g. photograph your stalls, screenshot social media posts) 

6. Clearly state in your advertisements (e.g. social media posts, stalls, posters):

• The charity you're raising money for
• How the money will be used
• How much of the donations go to the charity

7. Collect donations using the methods outlined here

8. Once donations have been collected into your society account, fill in the charity donation request form (hyperlinked) to make the donation. You should do this as soon as possible! 

Context - Charity Law and the Guild

• The Guild is a student union and a registered charity.
• This means that we must abide by charity law.
• Legally, the Guild can’t directly fundraise for other charities. This would contribute to a cause different to our charitable purpose which is not lawful.
• The Charity Commission recognises that fundraising can benefit the personal development and education of students – which is in line with the charitable purpose of student unions.
• This why societies, not the Guild, can legally fundraise for other charities.

Fundraising Conduct

• All fundraising should be in line with the Code of Fundraising Practice by the Fundraising Regulator (hyperlinked).
• This code reflects the legal responsibilities and standards that every fundraiser should follow
• If your society plans to fundraise, we recommend reading the section on standards which apply to all fundraising (hyperlinked). This includes how to appropriately behave and collect donations.
• It’s best summarised by section 1.1.1. 

“Your fundraising must be legal and must be open, honest and respectful.”

• For example, this is why when societies submit a donation request – we'll ask for evidence of advertisements. This is to demonstrate the fundraising was open and honest i.e. all donors knew exactly who they were giving money to and how much of it.

Using your Society’s Money Appropriately

• As a society – your aims are set out in your constitution. Any spending of your society’s money needs to be in line with these aims.
• Furthermore, in the Student Committee Agreement, your society has agreed to...

• Provide value for money to members.

• Ensure membership money is not used to provide benefits or rewards specific to committee members.

• Ensure all income and expenditure goes through your group account.

• To not advertise or undertake any illegal activity.

• You can read the rest of the agreement here
• This, and the fact societies are democratic, means members of your society need to agree before donating money to charity.
• For example, if your society makes a larger profit from an event than expected and decided after the event that you want to donate the extra to a charity – you'd need to demonstrate that your society members voted in agreement of this.

Risk Assessing Fundraisers

You must make it clear on your annual risk assessment which events involve fundraising.

To ensure your fundraisers are legally compliant, you need to include ‘Legal Compliance – Fundraising’ on your risk assessment. Here are some recommended control measures.

• We will clearly communicate the purpose of the fundraiser and how much of the donations go to charity. This includes all advertisements as well as any discussions with potential donors.
• All fundraisers will be briefed on how to behave appropriately. They will be polite and ensure donors make an informed decision. They will not mislead, be unreasonably persistent or take advantage of anyone who lacks capacity to make a decision to donate, or is in vulnerable circumstances. This is based off the Code of Fundraising practice.
• Accurate records will be kept of all income and expenditure related to the fundraiser
• Income from fundraisers will be donated to the charity as quickly as is reasonably possible