How to keep your fundraising safe and legal

It's important to ensure you keep your fundraising safe and legal. Check out our handy tips below.

Fundraising events are a fun and fantastic way to raise money and awareness for Prostate Cancer Research. It is really important to make sure that your event is both safe and legal, as we cannot accept any liability. Here are a few key things you should consider when you are planning your event.

Young people


Anyone under 16 must get permission from a parent or guardian before fundraising. No one under the age of 16 can take part in door-to-door collections and you need permission from parents to take photographs of anyone under the age of 18.

Cancelling your event


In the unfortunate event that your fundraising event must be cancelled, please make sure to return any ticket sale money or donations made prior to the event. If someone refuses a refund or you cannot find the contact details for the person who made the ticket purchase or donation, the money must be sent to Prostate Cancer Research.

Collecting personal data


If you are collecting personal data from your supporters, please make sure that this data is securely stored, that it is only used for the purposes you stated when you collected it and that it is safely deleted when you do not need it any more for your fundraising purposes.

Liability insurance.


To hold a public event, it is likely that you will need liability insurance. Prostate Cancer Research’s insurance only covers our own events, so you will not be covered by our insurance. If you are hosting your event at a venue, it’s a good idea to check with them if they have liability insurance!

Handling money


It is important to be super careful when handling money at your event to avoid losing donations.

  • Make sure two people are present when any money is being handled or counted,
  • Use a lock box or a secure container to keep all money in,
  • Get money to the bank as soon as possible,
  • Store donations separately from your own money,
  • Make sure cheque donations are payable to ‘Prostate Cancer Research’ and not to you personally,
  • Keep track of whether the money is being given as only a donation or to purchase something. If it is only a donation, be sure to encourage the donor to fill out one of our gift-aid forms!

Get permission.


Being out in public raising money and awareness is a great way to spread the word about Prostate Cancer Research! It is so important to get permission for your fundraising event, particularly if you are holding a public event, collection, or stand or a collection on private property (such as a pub or a shop). You should contact your local council for advice on permissions, licenses or trading standards that may be required.

Health and safety.


We recommend completing a risk assessment prior to your fundraising event to identify any potential hazards, and to make sure that everyone involved in running the event is aware of this. You should always have a first aid kit, and at least one first aider on site if there is any risk of accident or injury.

If you have catering at your event, it is also essential that food hygiene procedures and food safety regulations are followed.

Please ensure that your event is supervised properly, particularly if children are involved.

Raffles and lotteries


There are strict and complex laws relating to raffles and lotteries. Here are a few of the basics:

  • You cannot claim gift aid on a ticket (this is also true for tickets to events). Gift aid can only be claimed on donations.
  • You must sell the tickets are a single event and draw the winners at the event or very soon after, otherwise you will need a licence from your local council.
  • You may also need a licence for other things, such as playing music or selling alcohol.

For more detailed information about licensing laws, please visit www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk or www.Gamblingcommission.gov.uk/FAQs.

Press enter or esc to cancel