Fundraising can be a fun and rewarding experience. However it is also important that you protect yourself, your fellow fundraisers and CancerCare. When you are fundraising for CancerCare you are representing the charity and there are a number of laws and regulations you need to be aware of and make sure you adhere to. Not all ofthese will be relevant to the event or activity you are organising, so please read the sections of this factsheet which are relevant to you. If you have any queries or need additional advice then please contact the Fundraising team.

• Insurance
• The CancerCare branding
• Alcohol and public entertainment licence
• Street collections
• House to house collections including public houses
• Collection tins
• Markets – including car boot sales, table top sales
• Lotteries and raffles

Insurance

CancerCare has public liability cover to the value of £2million. In most cases this will be adequate for your fundraising activity however some sporting events or events that might be deemed hazardous will often require additional cover, which will need to be paid for. In such instances CancerCare will need proof of additional policies before your event can be authorised. For information or advice on insurance requirements, please contact the Fundraising team.

The CancerCare branding

By law, The CancerCare charity registration number (1120048) must appear on all posters and advertisements that invite people to participate or help. Please contact us for guidelines and permission to use the CancerCare logo.

Alcohol and public entertainment licence

If your event involves the sale of alcohol and/or live or recorded music, dancing,
showing of a film or performance of a play, an indoor sporting event (including a
boxing or wrestling match), or any entertainment of a similar nature, you may need a licence. You can avoid the need for a licence if you hold your event in premises which have the relevant licence. Check with the premises owners and liaise with your local authority, the police and other relevant parties as necessary.

Street collections

There are strict rule and regulations governing collections. Please read this guidance carefully if you want to hold a collection as part of your fundraising activity.

• A permit is required for any collection made in the street or in a public place.
• A collection may only be made on the day and between the hours stated in the
• permit.
• Specific written permission to collect at that location and on your chosen date(s) must be obtained from the Fundraising Team first.
• Application for a permit must be made in writing to the local authority licensing
• office, no later than one month before the date of the proposed collection.
• The person applying for the permit and taking responsibility for the collection is
• termed the ‘promoter'. A ‘promoter’ means a person who causes others to act as collectors.
• All collection of monies must comply with local authority and police regulations. Collectors should wear a badge and carry a certificate or letter of authority from CancerCare to validate their identity.
• The Police should be notified of any collection or charity event, which is planned to take place in the streets or any public place.
• All the collectors should be sixteen years of age or over
• Collection boxes/buckets must be sealed and numbered.

When the licensing officer sends the permit it is accompanied with a copy of the street collection regulations. These need to be read carefully and noted by the Promoter. He or she will then need to issue appropriate instructions to the collectors. The regulations contain instructions on issuing collecting boxes, how and where to collect, and counting the money.

A ‘Statement of Returns’ must be completed by the Promoter and returned to the Licensing Officer within one month of the date of the collection. Collections must NOT be made in a manner likely to annoy or inconvenience any person. While collecting, the collector must remain stationary.

Collections in private places with public access

• Some local councils state that a council permit is now required for collections in private places that have public access, so please check permits and Licensing departments of your local council.
• This is applicable to teams, or individual collectors, who organise collections in ‘private places’ (which the general public has access to) such as supermarkets, concert venues , high street stores, retail parks, sports
• stadiums etc.

No licence is needed where a collection is held on a particular day at a private function on private property.

House-to-House collections

If collectors intend to collect by moving from house to house they must have a licence granted by the appropriate local authority. Seek advice and authorisation from The CancerCare fundraising team if you are contemplating this sort of collection.

The Charity Commission (1995) also states that the term “collection” includes visits to public houses, offices and factories to appeal for money or to sell things. Many councils, require an application for a licence if a charity wishes to collect in public houses within its boundaries as this is termed a ‘house-to-house’collection (a collection in just one public house does not require a licence however).

If you are planning to collect in public houses please contact the Licensing Department of your Town Council and follow their recommendations.

Collection tins

Collection tins are an effective way to raise funds, especially when volunteers place the tins and service them. They are also a great way to increase the profile of CancerCare in local communities. We are required to keep accurate details of collection boxes and have a procedure for anyone wishing to use collection tins as part of their
fundraising. Please contact the Fundraising Team for more information.

Lotteries and raffles

Lotteries are arrangements where people pay to participate for the chance of winning a prize. When an element of skill is introduced then it becomes a competition and has fewer restrictions. A raffle is just another word for lottery. There are two types of lottery that you can organise to fundraise in aid of CancerCare. There are strict rules and regulations governing lotteries so if you are considering holding one as part of your fundraising please read this section, decide which type of lottery you are planning and then contact the Fundraising Team to inform us of your plans.

Incidental lottery - held as part of a fundraising event

Cloakroom-type tickets may be used for this type of lottery/raffle. These tickets can only be sold on the premises and during the course of the fundraising event. The sale and issue of tickets and announcement of results must take place during the main event. The proceeds, after deducting certain specified expenses, must along with the proceeds of the fundraising event be used for charitable purposes. No more than £500 can be spent on prizes, but there are no limits on the value of donated prizes. No more than £100 can be deducted for costs incurred in organising the lottery.

Small society lottery - tickets sold over a period of time

CancerCare is registered to run Society Lotteries.
A small society lottery is where tickets are to be sold over a period of time (not one event as with the incidental lottery). The tickets must be professionally printed and must contain certain information. There are detailed statutory regulations about the conduct of lotteries covering accounts, age restrictions, the maximum price of tickets and the amounts, which may be paid out in prizes and deducted for expenses. The organisers of the lottery must not put on sale tickets valued at more than £20,000.

All Fundraisers who wish to hold a lottery must contact the Fundraising Team for advice. We will provide you with a guide to running a small society lottery and the relevant forms you need to complete to comply with the regulations.

Markets - Car boot sales, table top sales, fun fairs etc

If there are more than 5 cars or stalls the sale counts as a market and as such falls under the jurisdiction of the Local Authority. Fundraisers who wish to organise this type of activity must apply to your local council for a licence.

The definition of a market is a concourse of buyers and sellers of five or more stalls, stands, vehicles or pitches from which articles are sold. This includes car boot sales, table-top sales, funfairs and fairground attractions, and exhibitions where selling is undertaken. It also includes markets being held for the benefit of a charity.