Here you can find all the guidance you need on raffles, collections and insurance and health and safety.

Raffles

Raffles are a great way to boost your fundraising total and are really popular at events. You do, however, need to be in line with the law so there are a couple of things you need to consider:

• If you plan to sell tickets on the day of your event, and the raffle is drawn on that same day, you won’t need a licence or have tickets printed – you can use the classic cloakroom tickets.
• If you want to sell raffle tickets in the days or weeks before your event or if your raffle is likely to raise more than £20,000 then you will require a licence under the British Gambling Act of 2005 because it is considered to be a lottery. You are also required to have official tickets designed, numbered and printed in line with lottery regulations. Don’t worry though, we can help with this. Once your event is done, you will need to confirm the number of tickets sold, how much your raffle raised and the winners’ names.
• An official society or business may run a raffle over a few days without a licence or bespoke tickets, but tickets must be sold exclusively to members of that society or company (not customers).

For more information on raffles, you can visit the Gambling Commission website or contact us.

Collections

Collecting money for Chestnut Tree House? Great! We just need to make you aware of the following…

Public collections

You must have a licence from your local authority to collect funds in public places. You can apply for this on behalf of the charity, or we can do it for you. Some areas have a very limited number of licences to issue, so it’s best to ask us first.

Collections have a minimum 28 day application timeline to process and each council will have different rules and regulations. Please contact your local authority to find out more.

If you are collecting on private property you will need written permission from the landowner or manager.

If you hold a collection for Chestnut Tree House without a licence or proper permission, it may result in the charity losing future opportunities to collect donations in these places.

Collecting tins

Collecting tins or buckets will need to be supplied by Chestnut Tree House with security seals, so please get in touch with the Fundraising Team, who will be happy to supply you with what you need. You can return the full tins and buckets for our finance volunteers to count.

Collecting door-to-door

You are also not allowed to collect funds by going door-to-door, even if you know them. The Fundraising Regulator has strict guidelines on who is able to carry out this type of fundraising. Only our authorised Lottery canvassers are able to do so on behalf of Chestnut Tree House.

For more information, please visit the Institute of Fundraising website or contact us..

Insurance and Health and Safety

Please note that Chestnut Tree House cannot accept any responsibility for accident, injury, loss or damage as a result of your event. We therefore strongly recommend that you check that you have adequate insurance and that you take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of all concerned. You will also need to check any third-party supplier’s public liability insurance.

You can download one of our risk assessment templates to help you recognise the potential risks and hazards that your event may bring, and how you can minimise them.

To find more advice about health and safety, please visit the Institute of Fundraising website or you can contact us.