Information for fundraisers

Fundraising for War Child will be a lot of fun and immensely rewarding. It's not often you can say that you are personally responsible for changing someone's life. When you donate to War Child you are joining an army of supporters committed to helping thousands of children around the world suffering the ravages of war - thank you.

But theres always a but. You have War Child's reputation in your hands. Not only that, you need to be sure that whatever fundraising activity you undertake doesn't result in having the book thrown at you. So, please read through this and ensure everything you do remains within the law.

It's Good to Talk

Be sure to let us know your fundraising plans. We will be able to help you promote the event where we can and ensure you have ticked the various safety and legal boxes.

This is especially important when you're planning to; sell tickets to an event, do a street collection, sell a product in aid of War Child, engage the media or raise more than £2,000.

What's in a Name?

Please be sure to include the statement "In support of War Child, registered with the Charity Commission no. 1071659" on all publicity and fundraising materials including posters, flyers, email invitations and so on. Please do not change the wording in the statement.

The War Child logo is trademarked. Therefore, if you plan to use it, please contact the War Child office to obtain permission and an appropriate copy of the logo before producing any relevant material. Any materials bearing our logo must be pre-approved by War Child.

War Child must have advance sight and sign off on all press material that includes mention of the charity and our work.

Child Protection

If children are involved it is crucial that they are properly supervised and have permission from a parent or guardian to take part. Only take photos of children at events with their consent and parental consent.

Try not to be in a situation where you are alone with a child and out of sight or hearing of other people.

Wherever possible, try to get references or checks on people and organisations who you ask to provide a service at your fundraising event. Report immediately any concerns you have about a child or any allegations made to you about a child or by a child.

Shake that thang

If you intend to fundraise from people on the street or knock on your neighbour's doors to ask for their support you must first apply for a licence from your local authority. When they grant you the licence they will also advise you of the various rules you need to abide by during a collection.

If you plan to undertake door to door collections, please only knock on the doors of people you know. This is for your own safety and so you can be sure you won't disturb Joe Blogg's meditation session.

Feeding the Five or the Five Thousand

Food is always a winner at events, but regardless of whether or not you're selling the food, please be sure to find out all the food safety laws and hygiene procedures you need to be aware of from the environmental health department of your local authority.

One for the Road

Alcohol - the ubiquitous party feature. But if you're selling booze at your event you might need a licence.

You can make life a little easier by holding your event at a licensed premise (e.g. a pub or licensed venue), thereby avoiding the need to apply for a licence. However if you have your dream venue but it doesn't have a licence, you will need to issue a Temporary Event Notice to your local authority. See the DCMS website for more information www.culture.gov.uk.

Be prepared

If you're holding an event that involves the public, be sure that it's covered for public liability insurance.

Take a Chance

Lotteries (including raffles) are subject to strict measures from central and local government. To keep you on your toes, there are a number of different lotteries, each with different rules:

Private lotteries

If your lottery is just for your work friends or a club, you don't need to worry about obtaining a licence. This is probably the best type of lottery to run as it's much easier to do and has fewer legal hoops for you to jump through.

Though do be sure that the lottery is promoted by someone from within the company/club and only advertised on the premises. Tickets must state the price, the name and address of the promoter and who is eligible to participate.

Small lotteries

If you are running a lottery within another event, e.g. a fete or dinner/dance then the licence is not needed.

But, the lottery cannot include any cash prizes and the ticket sales draw must be carried out during the event. No more than £250 can be spent on buying prizes, so it's best to try to get high value prizes donated by some generous folk.

Public lotteries

If you hold a larger raffle that is open to members of the public, the raffle must be registered with your local authority first. A named promoter must be identified to take responsibility for the raffle. If ticket sales exceed £20,000 you must register with the Gambling Commission.

Before promoting any lottery we recommend you check the rules with your local authority and the Gambling Commission (www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk).

Liability

War Child does not authorize fundraisers to act as agents for War Child. The charity is not responsible for organising, supervising or hosting your fundraising activities. All activities, and participation in them, are at the organisers' and participants' own risk.

War Child does not accept responsibility or liability for any loss or damage to property or for death or personal injury arising out of any fundraising activity in support of War Child.

But wait, I'm a Business

In that case, we may need to draw up a fundraising agreement between War Child and your company. If relevant it is a legal requirement, so please do drop us a line and we'll let you know the next steps right away.