If your event involves the public you will need to have Public Liability Insurance. The Haven is not able to
provide insurance for any fundraising activities ran in aid of us, so you’ll need to arrange your own. Check with the venue first as they may already have insurance that covers your event.

Some things require a licence, such as:
– Alcohol or entertainment, including using
recorded music
– Holding a raffle, lottery or auction
– Doing a public money collection or a collection on
private property
– Putting up banners or signs in public areas.

This list doesn’t cover everything. Contact your local authority well ahead of your event to check which licences you will need.
If you’re planning a raffle, it’s best to stick to selling raffle tickets only on the day, and drawing at the event to avoid needing a licence. There are strict and complex laws relating to larger raffles and lotteries so be sure to check the gambling commission
website for further information.

If you are going to sell or serve food and drink we recommend that you contact your local authority before your event to discuss what you plan to do. It is also a good idea to check with your venue, they might have specific requirements  they need you to follow when it comes to selling food.

Everyone loves a tasty treat at a fundraising event, but it is important that everyone involved in preparing and serving the food has a basic understanding of food hygiene. It is also really important that you look after anyone attending your event that may have allergies. Under Natasha’s Law it is best practice to make labels for any food being served with a full list of ingredients; this allows people with allergies to make safe and informed choices. There are 14 main allergens that you need to be aware of and add to your food labels if they are in any food at your event. CLICK HERE to see what they are.

The Food Standards Agency also provides guidelines to follow to keep your event safe. If you are using a caterer, you need to make sure they have a Food Hygiene Certificate and Public Liability Insurance.

If you plan to sell alcohol, you need to have a liquor licence. You get this from your local Magistrates Court.

Once you have ensured you have the correct licences to run a collection, it’s important to make sure your donations are kept safe.
Keep money locked away in a secure container whenever possible and always have two people present when handling and counting donations.

Get in touch with our team to borrow our Haven-branded tins or buckets for your event

Put the money in the bank or hand it over to The Haven team as soon as possible, within 28 days to abide by the codes of fundraising.

To find out how to hand it in as a donation, visit our donations page here.

You can get advice from a professional medical company like St John’s Ambulance about what type of First Aid you need to have at your event.

Things to think about:

• The number of people and the type of event
• What are the risks?
• Type of people, including their ages
• Location and type of venue, will the weather affect your event?
• How near is it to local medical facilities
• What experience do you have with similar events?
• What first aid facilities are at the venue

The Haven can provide a template for conducting a risk assessment for your event. Get in touch with the team, or why not make your own.

We have a full GDPR policy, as a well as a specific Fundraising GDPR policy that details how we process and store data from our supporters.

• All of the data we collect is done lawfully and either via you as our supporter directly, or via a known and trusted third party.
• We use this information in a variety of ways to best inform and support your journey as a supporter of The Haven all of which are detailed in the link abovey.
• We may share this information with a range of external organisations – more about this can be found via the link above.
• All data is secured safely and securely on our systems and we work closely with our IT advisor to ensure this is maintained.
• We take steps to ensure that all data is accurate and up to date, and we regularly review the data we store in line with our retention policy.
• Supporters can opt out from hearing from us at any time and The Haven team will act on this quickly. More information on this can be found in the link above.

A raffle is one of the most popular ways of raising money for charities, however it is really important that you follow the guidance of the Gambling Commission to keep your fundraising legal. Not following this guidance can result in fines as well as (if hosted on social media) the loss of your account. We would encourage you to visit the Gambling Commission website to learn more but we have added some of the important do’s and don’ts below to get you started. **Please always check the guidance as this list is not exhaustive**

Do’s

Raffles at fundraising events – you can host a raffle at your fundraising event and do not need a license. The tickets must be sold during the event, in person (not online) and the raffle must draw before the event closes. CLICK HERE for things you must consider for ticket sales and for more information.

Raffles with work colleagues – you can host a raffle with your colleagues at work and do not need a license, but you cannot sell tickets to your customers. You must ensure that the colleagues you sell tickets to, work at the same physical location. CLICK HERE for things you must consider for ticket sales and for more information.

Raffles at private clubs – you can host a raffle with members of a private club such as sports club, community group etc and do not need a license; this is called a Private Society Lottery. You can sell tickets to members and visitors to your site only. CLICK HERE for things you must consider for ticket sales and for more information.

Don’ts

Online Raffles – you CANNOT run a raffle online without a small society license. This includes but is not exclusive to raffle on social media, auction or selling sites, fundraising platforms, and live streaming platforms. This is illegal without a small societies license. CLICK HERE for more information.

Raffles with your customers – you are not able to run a raffle at your business with customers to raise money for charity, in line with Gambling Law. CLICK HERE for more information.

If you need any support you can contact our fundraising team at give@havenrefuge.org.uk who will be happy to help and point you in the right direction for further raffle guidance if needed.

Hosting a free prize draw is a great alternative to a raffle that doesn’t require a licence and can mitigate the risk of unintentionally running an illegal lottery.
You can run a free prize draw with two ways to enter: a paid route and a free route. You are not allowed to only offer a paid entry. You must display and promote both the paid and free routes equally and both paid and free entries must be put into the same system to choose a winner.

Here is an example of a free prize draw:
You would like to run a free prize draw for your customers, and you have a luxury hamper as your prize. Your customers must be able to choose whether to enter via the free route or the paid route and have equal access to both, knowing all money received will support The Haven Wolverhampton. You receive a mix of entry types. You must put all entrant names into one drawer and pull out a winner. The proceeds are given to The Haven Wolverhampton to support their work.

You don’t need a license to run a free draw, and the Gambling Commission doesn’t regulate them. However, you should follow their guidelines to avoid running an illegal lottery. If you’re unsure, seek legal advice. The Haven’s fundraising team are always happy to chat through your ideas and you can contact them via give@havenrefuge.org.uk but The Haven won’t accept liability or provide advice that should come from a legal professional.

This document is intended as a guide only – please make sure you check the Fundraising Regulator site, and other relevant regulatory body websites to ensure your event is legal and compliant.

Good luck with your fundraising and thank you once again for supporting us.