10.Events
Event fundraising is a way to bring communities together to fundraise for a particular cause. This section contains standards for planning and carrying out events (including challenge and virtual events) in the UK or overseas, including getting any permission that is needed to use a site, making sure events are safe and managing the risks responsibly.
10.1 Planning the event
In this section, ‘you’ means a charitable institution or third-party fundraiser.
You must carry out an appropriate risk assessment before holding an event. This includes:
- being clear about who is insuring against each risk (for example, you or the owner of any building you are using); and
- setting out specific responsibilities and risks when working with a third party.
If you are an employer, you are legally required to carry out a risk assessment under The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 or the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000.
You must make sure health and safety arrangements are suitable for the event you are holding.
You must have a plan to cover all situations you could reasonably expect at the event and make sure the people involved understand what you expect of them.
You must make sure you have all permission and licences that are needed for the event and meet any relevant local guidance that applies to the event or the site.
England and Wales: The Countryside Code
Scotland: The Scottish Outdoor Access Code
Northern Ireland: The Northern Ireland Countryside Code
If you plan to use open access land in England or Wales, you should also make sure your events follow the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Natural England also provides guidance on Open access land: management, rights and responsibilities.
10.2 Promoting an event
In this section, ‘you’ means a charitable institution or third-party fundraiser.
You must make sure any materials that encourage people to fundraise as part of an event, and those sent to participants who have signed up for an event, are clear about what is expected of them and how donations will be used. This includes:
- the commitments participants must make;
- whether participants must pay a personal registration fee; and
- whether any part of the money a participant raises will be used to directly benefit them, for example by covering their expenses.
All communications relating to your event must be clear and accurate, in line with section 8 Fundraising communications and advertising and the Advertising Standards Authority’s rules. In particular, you should be clear about how the money raised by the event will be used.
10.3 Recruiting participants and collecting the funds raised
In this section, ‘you’ means a charitable institution or third-party fundraiser.
You must make sure that, before agreeing to take part in a fundraising event, participants are aware of any conditions for taking part, including:
- any fundraising targets they are expected to meet; and
- any age, level of fitness, preparation or training that is needed to take part safely.
In England, Wales and Scotland, under the Equality Act 2010 you are legally required to make sure your fundraising events do not discriminate against people with characteristics that are protected by law.
In Northern Ireland, you are legally required to make sure your fundraising events do not discriminate against people with characteristics that are protected by law.
You can find more information about this from:
- in England and Wales: the Equality and Human Rights Commission; and
- in Northern Ireland: the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
If a person has been recruited to take part in an event, you can only refuse to allow this in certain circumstances, such as if they have broken the event conditions or there is a health and safety risk. You must also make sure you have all relevant legal permission, in writing, that you need from participants before the event.
You should consider whether the participants should be treated as professional fundraisers. They are likely to fall within the legal definition of professional fundraisers if they use more than £1,000 of the sponsorship money they raise to pay for their costs to take part in the event.
More information:
- Section 6 Fundraising partnerships
- Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIoF): Challenge Events.
You must make sure sponsorship forms are clear about any conditions that participants need to meet to receive the sponsorship money (for example, finishing a marathon).
You must have procedures in place to cover how sponsors should be told and refunded if:
- the participant does not meet any conditions that apply; or
- the event is cancelled.
If sponsorship money is given without participation conditions, you may not be able to refund it. For more information on refunds, see section 2.2 Accepting, refusing and returning donations.
Charitable institutions must have procedures to cover:
- how they will follow up on participants who have not met any minimum sponsorship requirements; and
- how participants should follow up donors who have not paid.