This guide is not legal advice. It is advisory, non-exhaustive and is aimed at fundraising charities, their trustees and third-party fundraisers. It may also be of interest to 'in-aid-of' fundraising volunteers and donors to understand more about good practice in charity fundraising.
You should use this guide alongside other sources of advice, good practice and your reasonable judgement to help you meet the requirements of the Code of Fundraising Practice (the code).
This guide will particularly help you meet section 10 of the code. However, you must meet all aspects of the code that apply to your fundraising event, even if they are not covered by this guide.
Where we say ‘you’ or ‘your’, this means a charitable institution and/or its trustees, a third-party fundraiser or commercial partner. Where we say ‘venue’ we mean any places where your event will be held.
Contact the Code Advice Service with any enquiries about the code and this guide.
Introduction
This guide will help you meet principles in the code where they apply to planning and holding fundraising events. We also have a separate guide on ‘Fundraising on social media’ which includes running hybrid events. You should use that guide together with this one if you are planning an event that will be held in-person and online at the same time.
You must follow all parts of the code that are relevant to your fundraising event, even if they are not covered by this guide. Make sure you follow relevant legislation, other guidance and take advice, including professional specialist advice where applicable, even if your event is taking place outside of the United Kingdom.
A handy list of top tips is provided at the end of this guide to help you in your fundraising activity.
You may find it helpful to also read some of our other guides together with this one, including on Charity challenge events, Fundraising on social media, Documenting your fundraising decisions, Due diligence and fundraising, and Monitoring your fundraising partners.
Safeguarding
When organising and holding your fundraising event, you must meet your legal duty to safeguard your employees, volunteers, the public and anyone else who might reasonably be affected by your fundraising activities. You should carry out appropriate checks on those fundraising on your behalf.
Follow your relevant policies and procedures to avoid, identify and manage any risks of harm towards or by anyone that you directly or indirectly engage with in your fundraising event, including by carrying out a risk assessment (see above).
Carry out a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check in England and Wales, a Level 1 (formerly ‘basic’) Disclosure Scotland check in Scotland, and an Access NI check in Northern Ireland on anyone aged 16 and over, if your risk assessment determines it’s appropriate. You should also conduct any other appropriate checks.
If your fundraising event will involve contact with children or vulnerable adults, consider whether your staff and third-party fundraisers are eligible for a higher-level check, but only request such a check where you are legally allowed to do so.
You must also know how to rapidly refer or report safeguarding concerns and suspected or actual incidents of harm, and make sure you do so where the situation arises.
See more in our guide to ‘Due diligence and fundraising’.
Health and safety
Make sure that health and safety arrangements are appropriate for your event and its location and venue, including but not limited to:
- making sure medical insurance and evacuation arrangements are in place
- carrying out final safety checks of fire exits, accessibility, first aid, and equipment
- putting procedures in place to avoid congestion, including if an emergency evacuation were to be needed
- making sure marshals and stewards have relevant training or experience to undertake the task safely and effectively
- food standards (see below); and
- considering event accessibility.
Remember to have a plan in place for how you will maintain safety at all times and to cover all situations that you can reasonably anticipate.
Fundraising events abroad and package travel
Be clear with participants, and any party you contract with, about what you, participants, and any contractors are responsible for when holding fundraising events outside the UK. This includes being clear who holds responsibility for:
- making bookings
- providing travel within and/or to and from the UK
- acquiring and providing equipment, including specialist equipment
- health and safety
- putting in place relevant and sufficient insurance cover or confirming it is in place (see insurance above); and
- meeting travel regulations.
For more information, see Challenge Events from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising.
There are legal requirements for events involving passenger flights and certain other travel services. Make sure you are clear upfront about who is responsible for meeting any travel regulations that apply to your fundraising event.
You must comply with the law relating to travel, including The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangement Regulations 2018 and The Civil Aviation (Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing) Regulation 2012 (the ‘travel regulations’).
Most of the obligations under these regulations fall on the organiser and on retailers who sell travel packages to consumers. Charitable institutions may want a specialist tour operator to be the ‘organiser’ with responsibility for meeting the regulations.
The Civil Aviation Authority has published guidance on Offering and selling flights or flight-inclusive trips as part of events or fundraising activities.
If you are considering holding a fundraising event involving package travel, you should obtain legal advice.
Event promotion and participation
Make sure that the marketing for your fundraising event, such as promotional materials and fundraising packs, contain accurate and clear information, including:
- how the money raised will be used
- if your event or any merchandise sales are carried out through a trading company
- not misleading anyone into believing that their commitment would be limited to a minimum personal registration fee
- if any part of the money a participant raises will be used towards their expenses or otherwise to benefit them
- any fundraising targets participants are expected to meet; and
- making sure participants understand exactly what is expected of them.
Make sure participants also have clear information in advance about practical arrangements for the event, including what is expected of them before, during and after.
It is also a good idea to let participants know how, when and by whom they will be contacted in the run up to the event, including when this is a third-party.
Sponsorship donations
When carrying out sponsored fundraising events you must make clear whether there are any participation conditions that must be met in return for the money raised, e.g., complete a marathon or swim a mile.
Make sure all event participants know to make it clear to their sponsors if they will use any of their sponsorship money to pay for their expenses relating to the event. If a participant uses more than £1,000 of the sponsorship money they raise to pay for their costs of participating, they may be considered a professional fundraiser. See our Guidance for charitable institutions working with professional fundraisers.
You must have procedures in place to cover situations where sponsorship money is donated with participation conditions that are not subsequently met. This could, for example, arise because the event is cancelled, or a person does not take part in or complete the event for any reason. In these circumstances, where it is legally permissible to refund donations, you must follow your agreed refund procedures.
When sponsorship money is donated to you without participation conditions, it automatically belongs to your charitable institution, whether or not a sponsored activity is completed.
You must follow all parts of the code relating to accepting and returning donations. Also see our guides to ‘Documenting your fundraising decisions’ and ‘Due diligence and fundraising’.
Top tips for fundraising events
These top tips are not legal advice. They are advisory and not exhaustive. You must follow all parts of the code that apply to you.
- Conduct an event risk assessment in advance and keep a written record.
- Have adequate insurance cover in place, including that required in law.
- Consider event accessibility when planning your event.
- Obtain all necessary event licences and permissions.
- Get any advance written consent you need in law from event participants.
- Check whether your governing document allows you to trade before selling any products or services at your event.
- Obtain relevant permissions for events involving drones, fireworks or other aerial activities.
- Make sure your event marketing materials contain accurate and clear information, including how the money raised will be used.
- Make sponsorship forms clear about whether fundraisers need to meet any conditions in return for sponsorship money.