Keeping your fundraising safe and legal

We want you to have an amazing time fundraising. It is incredibly important, though, that your fundraising is both safe and legal. As the organiser of an event, you are responsible for keeping everyone who's involved as safe as possible at all times. So do plan and remember Solving Kids’ Cancer UK is always on hand to offer support and guidance.  

Raffles and lotteries 

There are lots of things to consider when planning a raffle or lottery. Please do contact us as we’re always on hand to support and advise on this. There are some instances, depending on your lottery type, where you would need a license from your local authority.  

Incidental lotteries

There are a few key things to keep in mind when planning a lottery that does not need a license, often referred to as an ‘incidental lottery’. An incidental lottery is normally an additional activity to an existing fundraising event: 

• Tickets must be sold on the same day as the raffle is drawn. If you would like to sell tickets in advance you may need to apply for a license. For more information click here.
• Tickets must only be sold to those aged 16 and over
• All raffle tickets must be sold at the same suggested donation amount (e.g. you cannot charge £2.50 for a single raffle ticket or £10 for 5 tickets)
• No more than £500 can be deducted from the takings to cover the cost of prizes

Small society lotteries  

A ‘small society lottery’ is when your raffle is a standalone event not connected to another fundraising event and you raise less than £20,000 in a single draw. You do not need a license from the Gambling Commission, but you do need to register your raffle with the licensing department at your local authority, which will incur a cost of around £40. Things to keep in mind when planning a small society lottery: 

• You can sell tickets in advance and promote your raffle to the general public
• Make sure the following information is printed on all raffle tickets:
  • The name of the society whose behalf the lottery is being promoted (Solving Kids' Cancer UK)
  • The price of a ticket
  • The name and address of the promoter (not Solving Kids' Cancer UK)
  • The date of the draw
    

Collections

In public spaces

To collect money in a public place you may need to apply for the appropriate license. Visit the government website for all the details on how to apply. http://www.gov.uk/street-colle...

On private ground

If you are collecting on private ground such as a train station, shopping centre, or supermarket, you’ll need permission from the manager. You will need to contact them and ask how to go about doing this. 

Organising events 

If you are organising an event to raise funds, there are plenty of resources available to ensure everything is safe and legal. 

• If your event involves food and drink, you can visit www.food.gov.uk for advice. 
• For first aid support and advice you can look to St John’s Ambulance (www.sja.org.uk ) or the Red Cross (www.redcross.org.uk/first-aid) 
• For general health and safety information around events, you can visit www.hse.gov.uk 

Licenses 

Keep in mind that you may need a license for the following activities:

• Collecting money in a public place 
• Selling goods in a public place 
• Sale of alcohol 
• Provision of food and drink  

Insurance  

If your event involves the public you will need Public Liability Insurance. Check with your venue first as they may have it in place already.  

Privacy  

If you’re taking personal details as part of your fundraising, you must comply with data protection legislation. Visit the Information Commissioner's Office for more information.

Children at events

You will need to get parental permission if children are helping at your event or if you’re taking photographs of children.

Do you have a question?

If you need a hand with anything, get in touch with our friendly team for support on 0207 284 0800 or through fundraising@solvingkidscancer.org.uk, or you can complete the online form below.