Remember – you are responsible for the safety of your guests so make sure there are no trip hazards or other hazards that can cause danger.
Completing your own risk assessment before the event highlights any areas you may need to think about.
If you’re holding an event involving many people, make sure that you have
appropriate first aid support in place. You can get advice from St John Ambulance or the British Red Cross.
You will need to get a licence from the local authority if you plan to organise a collection in a public place.
If you are organising a collection on privately owned property, e.g. a shopping centre, supermarket, train station or concert, you will need to get their approval, but you might also need a collection licence as well – so do check.
Collections in pubs, factories or offices are counted as a house-to-house collection, so you will need a permit for them.
Anyone under 16 years of age is not allowed to collect.
If you are planning to organise a collection you will need to speak to our community fundraising team so they can issue you with a letter of authority to say you are collecting for St Elizabeth Hospice and also to ensure you have our branded and sealed collection tins/buckets.
You will have to ensure that your licences are in place before we can issue your collection materials. You are not allowed to collect money in open buckets and there is a code of conduct which is regulated by the Institute of Fundraising that we ask you to follow.
If you’re organising an event yourself and this takes place at your home, check if you are covered by your own home insurance.
If you organise an event/activity outside the home that involves the public in any way, you will need to ensure that you have Public Liability Insurance, which can be provided by many local insurance companies.
Check with your venues to see if they have their own Public Liability Insurance as you may be covered when hiring.
Please also check with caterers or contractors or any external facilities you are using to make sure they have the relevant experience & good feedback from any other work they have done. Make sure that they also hold the relevant insurance cover too.
Please note that you will not be coveredunder the St Elizabeth Hospice Public Liability Insurance.
If food is to be sold at an event, food safety laws must be complied with.
If you are using a catering company they should be registered and abide by the food safety laws. Guidance can be obtained from the Food Standards Agency.
If you are handling food yourself, you must be aware of food allergies, such as nuts or dairy and the proper storage of perishable foods.
We can only claim Gift Aid from friends, family and colleagues who have made a donation where they have not received any benefit.
If they are paying for a ticket, buying a raffle ticket or purchasing some cake the money cannot be Gift Aided.
Small raffles held as part of a larger event are fine as long as ticket sales and the announcing of results take place during the event itself. That means no selling of raffle tickets in advance of the event and there are no cash prizes.
If you are wanting to sell tickets prior to the event or want to offer a cash prize, this will fall under public lottery and raffles. This therefore must be registered with the local authority.
For more guidance, check the rules with your local authority or the Gambling Commission for Great Britain.
If you plan to take photos of other people at your fundraiser, please make attendees aware that they are being taken and how you plan to use them so people can request not to have their photo taken.
You will need to get permission from parents before taking any photos of children.
Ensure there are always two people present when counting money and moving it from place to place.
Ensure that any monies are kept in a safe place at the event, before banking it or handing it in.
Remember anyone under 18 helping will need to get parental permission from their parent/guardian.
