Fundraising for our charity
It’s a challenging time at the moment, and we need fundraisers like you more than ever. But it’s important to keep yourself and those around you safe. Whatever fundraising activities you choose, remember to check whether there are any health and safety regulations you need to keep in mind. Please see our ‘keep it safe and keep it legal’ information below.
We encourage you to use our logo to brand your fundraising materials and we are happy to send you our logo and user guidelines. Please do not alter the colours or dimensions of the logo, and do ensure that you always add our charity number when creating any materials to promote your event – this should read: Registered Charity No 1131072 (England and Wales) / SCO47740 (Scotland)
Different types of raffles have different rules so please check the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s website for more detail.
The Chartered Institute of Fundraising has some handy event-organising tips on its website.
If you’re running an event, you can get advice from professional medical charities like St John’s Ambulance or the Red Cross about what type of first aid you need to have. Things to think about include:
* what experience you have of similar events
* the number and types of people, and their ages
* the type of event and risk involved
* how long the event lasts and what the weather is likely to be
* how near it is to local medical facilities, and what welfare and first aid facilities are at the venue
Carrying out a risk assessment is the best way to make sure your event is safe and secure. It does not have to be complicated – it just means checking practical, common-sense things like trip hazards. You will need to check the venue/location in advance and make yourself aware of any potential hazards and put things in place to minimise any risk. An example can be downloaded from our website here (link to follow).
Some things require a licence, such as the following activities (please note that this list isn’t exhaustive). Contact your local authority to check which licences you might need or give us a call on 01223 910854.
* alcohol or entertainment, including recorded music
* holding a raffle, lottery or auction
* doing a public money collection
* putting up banners or signs in public areas
The Food Standards Agency provides guidelines for preparing, handling and cooking food. If you are using a caterer, do check that they have a Food Hygiene Certificate and Public Liability Insurance. Please remember to think about the premises of food preparation, labelling food to inform those with an allergy or intolerance and how food is handled and packaged etc
* have two people around when money is being handled and counted
* collect cash using a secure container eg: a secure cash box
* when carrying money, do take care. Always use a safe route and always be with someone and/or carry a personal alarm
* if you’re confronted by someone demanding the money, do not put up a fight, hand them the money and report the matter to the police
* put the money in the bank as soon as possible
If you are planning to take photographs at your event, you need to let people know. You could make a sign to go on your registration table, informing guests that there will be a photographer present and that you might use the pictures in subsequent promotions. You could display these notices on the walls too. People have the right to say that they’d rather not be photographed.
If you use external suppliers for equipment or services at your event, make sure you use a reputable company. Ask to see their Public Liability Insurance and risk assessment. If anything looks unsafe on the day, do not use the equipment or stop the activity.
Make sure children and vulnerable adults are properly looked after. See the Government’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) information for more guidance.
There are many different forms of charitable collections, and all have different rules associated with
them. You may like to check out the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s website for more information. But some of the most common are:
* Street collections – if you’re holding a collection in the street, you will need to obtain a licence from your local authority
* Private collections – if your collection is open to the public, but being held on private property such as within a rail station, you must obtain permission from the landowner or manager
* Static collection boxes – boxes must be secure and tamper proof. You do not need a licence to place these in a shop or business, just permission from the business owner
* House to house collections – licenses must be obtained from your local authority
These guidelines are not exhaustive and we recommend that you take time to think through all the implications for the event. There is lots of advice online which you may like to explore and, of course, we’d be happy to help. Lastly, we hope you enjoy your event and thank you so much for supporting urostomates live their lives to the full after surgery.
Of course! We’d love to hear about your amazing ideas and your motivations. We’d love to help promote your activity and cheer you along the way. You can find our contact details here.