How to fundraise in aid of Guy's & St Thomas' Charity

While we’re here to support your fundraising, Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity cannot assume legal responsibility for your fundraising activities. You should avoid doing anything that may be unlawful or put yourself or others in danger.

The safety of your event is paramount. Please do a thorough risk assessment to find out whether you need insurance cover or any licences, such as a gambling licence for raffles or prize draws, or a public entertainment or alcohol licence, if applicable. Find out more.

We cannot be held liable for any incidents or participants involved in your event, and your event will not be covered by our insurance if any mishaps occur. Please prioritise the safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults who may attend.

If you’re fundraising outside of the UK, you must comply with local fundraising laws and best practice guidelines.

You cannot use the Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity logo on any merchandise or packaging intended for sale in support of the charity. The charity logo cannot be used on any social media sites, digital platforms or websites without our prior permission. If you wish to use our logo on any materials or communications, you must request our approval beforehand. Please contact us at hello@gsttcharity.org.uk for advice and guidance.

When you fundraise for Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity, you’re acting as an independent supporter. So, it’s essential to show that you’re fundraising ‘in aid of’ the charity. Any promotional materials for your event – such as digital or printed tickets, posters or advertisements – must specify whether all proceeds from the event will go to Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity or if any funds will be used to cover your expenses.

For example, “The ticket price includes one entry fee and meal per person. All funds raised during the event will be donated to Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity (registered charity number 1160316-18).”

If you’d like to contribute funds from the sale of a product or service, you must enter into a Commercial Participation Agreement. If you wish to contribute funds to us from the sale of a product or service, please contact us at hello@gsttcharity.org.uk.

If you’re under 16 years old, you must get consent from your parent or guardian before doing any fundraising for Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity. Please contact us at hello@gsttcharity.org.uk for a copy of our consent form. Children under the age of 16 cannot take part in certain fundraising activities, including door-to-door fundraising, raffles/lotteries (as this is considered as gambling) and events involving alcohol.

You’re responsible for making sure that any physical or electronic data you handle complies with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. You can do this by:

• receiving appropriate consent before storing or using anyone’s data
• securely maintaining data to prevent loss, damage or unauthorised access (e.g. securing a spreadsheet with a password)
• not retaining data for longer than necessary
• not sharing information about individuals without their consent.

For more information about how we store your data, please see our privacy and cookies policy.

Gift Aid can significantly boost your fundraising efforts, but it must be used in accordance with strict regulations. Gift Aid can only be claimed on individual donations and cannot be applied to ticket sales, raffle ticket sales, winning auction bids or group collections. Further details are available on the Health and Safety Executive, Fundraising Regulator: Code of Fundraising Practice and Gambling Commission websites.

When fundraising for us, you’re considered a member of #TeamGSTT. So, we expect you to conduct yourself with fairness and respect towards event attendees, volunteers and members of the public. Please review our fundraising terms and conditions for extra guidance. You can also find out more about our commitment to treating our supporters fairly in our supporter promise.

If your event involves children, you must ensure proper adult supervision and arrange DBS checks for any adult volunteers. Additionally:

• Children under 16 years old are not allowed to buy raffle tickets.
• In England and Wales, children under 16 cannot participate in public street collections. Different regulations apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland, so please check the Fundraising Regulator’s guidance.
• Permission from a parent or guardian is required to photograph any children under 16 years old.
• Children under 16 years old should never be solely responsible for handling or counting cash.

Some key points to note and legal obligations when handling cash:

• You must not leave unsecured cash unattended.
• You must count cash in a secure place.
• You must make sure that all cash you have collected is counted and recorded by two unrelated people, wherever possible. Money collected in branded sealed collection boxes should be returned to the charity for counting, where possible.
• You must make sure that cash donations are placed in a sealed container or collecting box.
• You must bank cash as soon as possible. If you do not bank it immediately, you must put it in a safe or other secure place.
• You must send Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity the full amount from all branded collecting boxes without taking any expenses or fees, unless these have been agreed beforehand.
• If you’re a commercial participator, you (and people fundraising for you) must not take any money from cash you (or they) receive.
• You must comply with any extra rules set by local authorities about making deductions from collections. Local authorities may have differing rules about fundraising that take place in their jurisdiction, so if a fundraising activity or event is held on public property, you must abide by these rules.

Find out more about processing cash donations here.