We can’t thank you enough for wanting to fundraise for Kidney Care UK. We’ve pulled together some top tips on everything you need to know to enjoy your fundraising, worry free!
If you have any other questions, please get in touch with our Fundraising team or call 01420 552 698.
The health and safety of all those organising and attending a fundraising event for Kidney Care UK is our priority. We would recommend carrying out a risk assessment around what you have planned to ensure your safety, as well as the safety of any volunteers and those attending your event.
Examples of what to consider in an assessment could be what type of event are you wanting to organise (high or low risk), the number of people attending, what kind of venue it is, whether volunteers will be needed and any contingency plans for things like bad weather.
If you are planning on hiring or using a specific venue, it is likely they will require a more formal risk assessment. At a minimum. the assessment should:
- Identify any possible hazards (anything that could cause harm) and their risk (the chance of the hazard occurring)
- Outline who might be harmed
- Show the measures put in place to limit or even remove hazards
- Identify who is responsible and a record of when any action was taken
For more guidance and help, visit the Health and Safety Executive website.
Make sure you have appropriate first aid support for your event, whether that is a designated first aider on hand at a smaller event, or external support from organisations such as St John’s Ambulance for larger scale events. At minimum, make sure you have a first aid kit on site and that all contents are in date, should they be needed.
Holding a lottery or raffle is a great way to raise money. However, there are legal requirements when organising such an event.
There are three types of lottery and raffle: small society, incidental and private society. Each type has its own rules, with some requiring a license and some not.
In general, if you are planning to hold a raffle as part of another event (incidental lottery), with tickets sold only during the event, you won’t need a license.
However, if you want to sell tickets in advance or to people who are not attending the main event, you will require a license.
For more details, head to the Gambling Commission website.
If part of your fundraising plans is holding a collection, you must make sure you have the correct permissions to do so.
Where are you planning to collect?
Private property/land: You simply need written permission from the owner and have this with you during your collection. Anyone collecting money in public must be over the age of 16.
Public place: You will need a license from the local council (Metropolitan Police if in Greater London). Make sure you plan ahead as these licenses can take a few months to arrange.
Visit the government websites for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to find out what your local council require. We can supply you with a letter of authority for your collection, if required; email us at [email protected].
To stay safe when collecting cash donations:
- Use secure containers to collect all donations.
- Make sure money or containers aren’t left alone.
- Make sure at least two people are present when handling and counting donations.
- Collect in a well-lit location and make sure someone knows where you will be and until when.
- Conceal (as best you can) any donations or containers when transporting donations.
- Send donations to Kidney Care UK as soon as you can.
If your fundraising plans involve food, whether that be cupcakes or an evening dinner, food safety laws will apply. You can visit the Food Standards Agency website for guidelines on preparing, handling and cooking food if you are doing this yourself. You can also get in touch with your local council for details of any regulations they require you to follow at events.
Make sure you also clearly display all ingredients, to ensure anyone with allergies can make an informed choice to keep everyone safe. Alternatively, if a third party is providing any catering, make sure they have public liability insurance and a valid food hygiene certificate.
If you are planning to serve alcohol at your event, you must make sure to get all relevant permissions from your local council, or ensure that any venue used is fully covered and licensed to do so.
It is your responsibility to make sure your fundraising activities and events are safe. If your event involves the general public, you should arrange relevant public liability insurance. Although we are here to help, the charity’s insurance does not extend to individual fundraising events. For private events, however, this may not be required. We would advise you to seek legal advice if you are unsure.
You should check with any venue you intend to hire, as they will usually have public liability insurance in place and you may be covered by this as part of your booking.
If you are planning to take photos at your event and would like to share them, for example on social media, make sure you gain consent first. This includes checking with the parents/guardians of any children attending.
When organising your event, make sure you only gather the information you need about those involved (this includes those attending as well as volunteers). Keep information such as contact, address and personal details safe and only for as long as you need it and do not share these details with anyone else without permission.
Explain why you are collecting any and all data and make sure you only use it for the exact reason/s you have stated. For example, if you are selling tickets to your event, you may contact those purchasing a ticket about their ticket or the event, but nothing else (unless you have got permission to do so).