Fundraising advice

Porchlight is committed to fundraising in line with the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice and to support you and your fundraising with a point of contact at the charity to answer any queries and provide any relevant fundraising materials.

All supporters who fundraise 'in aid of' Porchlight are agreeing to adhere to the following advice and procedures.

Let us know about your event so we can support you. If you have any questions or want to check anything, please feel free to ask.

• Call us: 01227 813199
• Email us

General advice for fundraising in aid of Porchlight

Please ensure that your fundraising publicity materials and communications use the term 'in aid of Porchlight'.

An 'in aid of' fundraiser is a specific term as defined in the Institution of Fundraising code of practice:

'A volunteer acting in aid of an organisation should have no authority to act in its name, and it should be clear that the volunteer is simply raising funds for the organisation but acting in his or her own capacity.

If you are under 18, please show this page to your parent/guardian/teacher/group leader and ask them to read it. Also, please ask them to read the guidance - Code of Fundraising Practice: Fundraising involving children.

Health and Safety

We want you and everyone participating in your event to have lots of fun while remaining safe and healthy. Please carry out a risk assessment to ensure proper plans are in place for the safety of participants. Porchlight cannot accept responsibility or any liability for any loss, damage, death, or personal injury arising from the fundraising activity.

• Participants must be fully briefed, including any risks, fitness requirements, special equipment or clothing required and expected behaviour standards.
  
• Please check whether any special licence is required (e.g., a public entertainment licence or a licence to sell alcohol).
• Porchlight cannot provide insurance, so please consider whether insurance coverage is required for your fundraising activity. The Health and Safety Executive has further information and guidance.

Where children (under 18 years) are involved, you must ensure the following:

• Proper adult supervision is provided;
• The child’s parent/guardian has permitted their child to take part and for any photos or video footage to be taken/shared publicly;
• Appropriate background checks are completed if adults will have unsupervised access to children.

Fundraising collections

A fundraising collection is a great way to boost your fundraising. Please obtain the correct permissions/licences from the local council or landowner before carrying out public collections. Please inform Porchlight before organising a collection. We can provide a Letter of Authorisation, which can be presented to the local authority to show that you have agreement from the charity regarding your fundraising activity.

The Fundraising Regulator outlines strict guidelines around appropriate behaviour when collecting money, including not bringing the charity into disrepute or making the public feel uncomfortable.

If we approve a request from a supporter for Porchlight branded collection tins or buckets, the supporter must adhere to the collection tin/bucket procedure:

• The person who requests the tins/buckets will act as the responsible person for the tins/buckets, and will ensure a safe return to Porchlight. Porchlight will keep a record of the name and contact details of this person along with the tins/buckets that have been distributed.
• The tins/buckets may only be used on the occasion and location agreed on with Porchlight. When collecting in a public place each holder will need a copy of the collection permit and a Porchlight Letter of Authorisation on their person. When collecting on private property (eg shopping centre) permission must be obtained from the owner or the person responsible for the premises.
• Holders must be over 16 years of age.
• If the tin/bucket is kept at a permanent or long term location (eg shop counter) it needs to be emptied regularly and the proceeds kept in a secure place until transferred to Porchlight.
• The tins/buckets must be sealed during collection with the seals provided.
• The tins/buckets must be opened and counted in the presence of at least one other person, the proceeds must be recorded in writing and kept in a secure place until banked, and then returned to Porchlight via the donation form on the website or via BACs transfer, by the date agreed on with the Porchlight Fundraising Team.

Maximise your fundraising by providing a digital option for supporters to donate online. We recommend creating a Just Giving page for this. It can be tailored to a person, team, group or event. It will keep track of the total funds raised, and the link can be shared with contacts and on social media. A QR code will be automatically generated, which can be downloaded and added to promotional materials. Just Giving processes donations, and the income is paid directly to Porchlight, including any eligible donations for Gift Aid. Please contact Porchlight for further instructions or advice.

Raffles and Lotteries

Everyone loves a raffle, but please remember that there are strict laws relating to raffles and lotteries. Please consult with Porchlight before organising a raffle or lottery.

The Gambling Commission helps determine what kind of raffle or lottery you are running and whether a licence is required.

It’s important to note that donations made in return for raffle or lottery tickets, auction prizes or ticket entry fees are not eligible for Gift Aid because they are not ‘freewill’ gifts and the donors are getting something in return for their donation. Donors must be informed of this, and an appropriate fundraising platform will be required to ensure Gift Aid is not claimed for raffles, lottery tickets, or auction payments. Porchlight can provide advice on appropriate fundraising platforms before your fundraising activity.

Ticketed Events

If you're organising an event that raises funds through ticket entry, we recommend using Ticket Tailor to process tickets and payment. They charge a small fee which the organiser or the buyer can cover. They also offer discounts for events that are raising money for charity.

Publicity and Promotion

We can provide you with our ‘in aid of’ logo to help support your fundraising. Please communicate clearly that you are fundraising in aid of Porchlight by using the phrase “In aid of Porchlight, registered charity 267116” and the logo we will provide.

All materials need to make clear the amount that will be donated to Porchlight (e.g. “£1 from every ticket fee will be donated to Porchlight” or “All profits from this event will be donated to Porchlight”).

If you would like to use the Porchlight logo on your promotional materials, please contact us, and we will email you a copy along with our brand guidelines. There are also downloadable resources available on our website; we can send you additional graphics for use on social media.

We love to see photos from events and share them on our website and social media to show what our supporters are doing and encourage others to get involved. Please send photos via email or other file sharing platform, ensuring that permission has been granted from the photo subjects or, if they are under 18, from their parent/guardian, for the photo to be shared publicly.

Porchlight maintains the right to ask for publicity materials to be withdrawn from public circulation or deleted from online social media platforms should the wording not be clearly stipulated as advised.

Transfer of funds raised

For funds collected/raised offline:

• They must be accessed and counted by someone aged 16 or above and in the presence of at least one other trusted person, also aged 16 or above.
• If expenses are to be deducted from the funds collected, Porchlight has to approve this, and appropriate records must be kept, and all promotional materials must clarify this.
• Please inform Porchlight once funds are sent by emailing getinvolved@porchlight.org.uk
• They must be returned to Porchlight within four weeks of the event/collection via the donation form on the website clearly referencing your name, the group or the event, or via BACs:

Unity Trust Bank
Account Name: Porchlight
Account Number: 20193450
Sort Code: 608301
Reference: FR <<insert your name/group/event>>

Data

Please refer to Porchlight’s Privacy Statement to learn how we use your data.

Further information

If you would like further information and guidance in relation to fundraising, you can also contact the Chartered Institute of Fundraising at www.ciof.org.uk

(Photo credit: Helen Batt Photography)