Stay safe and legal

Thank you for choosing to fundraise for YHA, we’re so happy to have your support. With your help we can transform young lives through travel and adventure, giving young people those eye-opening, perception-shifting moments that come with new experiences.

We’re here to help you on every step of your journey. Depending on the type of fundraising activity or event you’re considering, there may be some things you need to consider as part of your plan. This page offers technical information on what to look out for and what to avoid, including a few rules and regulations that you may not be aware of.

As always, if in doubt then don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Handling cash

  • For safety and security avoid counting money in public spaces.
  • Take the cash to the bank as soon as possible after your event.
  • Stay safe when you’re transporting cash by keeping it securely out of sight. Choose busy, well-lit routes for your journey to the bank.

Collections

  • Bucket collections are a well-established way to fundraise. If you intend to collect on private property such as in a pub or supermarket, please get written permission from the owner or manager first. Keep this with you when collecting.
  • To collect funds in the street or in any public place you will need a license from your local council. Please let us know before you approach your local authority. It can take up to two months to receive your license, so be sure to plan ahead.
  • As a rule, we don’t allow house-to-house collections on our behalf.
  • Finally, anyone collecting money in public must be over 16.

Raffles and lotteries

  • For simple raffles all you need to remember is to charge a standard price for each ticket and to draw the name of the winner before your event is over.
  • If you plan to run your lottery over a longer period of time or sell tickets at more than one venue, you will need to purchase a local lottery license from your council.
  • Before holding a lottery or raffle please speak to your local authority licensing team or ask us for more information.

Safeguarding

If you’re running an event and there are children attending, you should ensure that they have permission to take part and are accompanied by an adult. Adults looking after children may need to have carried out appropriate checks. See the Government’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) information for more guidance.

First aid

First aid may be required depending on the size and nature of your event and the activities you are proposing.

For help and advice, you can:

  • check with us if you’re not sure
  • ask your chosen venue (if applicable) whether they provide kits and first aiders
  • visit www.firstaid.org.uk for information
  • contact St John’s Ambulance to ask for support at larger scale public events

Health and safety

We can’t accept any liability for loss, damage or injury as a result of your fundraising activities and our insurance doesn’t cover property or personal liability for any injury to you or anyone else who participates in your fundraiser. We recommend that you put any necessary procedures in place to ensure everyone’s safety to avoid accidents:

  • Carry out a risk assessment before your event to ensure that everyone involved (staff, volunteers, participants, members of the public) stays safe. For further information on risk assessments visit hse.gov.uk.
  • Make sure you fully brief everyone attending about the event, including details of any risks (for example if your fundraiser is close to water), fitness requirements, special equipment or clothing and standards of behaviour expected so they can stay safe.
  • It’s essential for events to be adequately supervised. When children are involved, this includes providing adult supervision and permission from the child’s parents or guardians for them to take part
  • Food hygiene is vitally important, especially around allergies like nuts. Take care when preparing, storing, displaying and serving food and ensure that ingredients are clearly marked. The Food Standards Agency can provide more information on food safety: https://www.food.gov.uk
  • We recommend that you take out insurance for any events that you organise. Events insurance can provide you with public liability cover and can also insure in case of cancellation.

Publicity materials

Please ensure that all materials promoting your event specify that it is ‘in aid of’ YHA (and any other charities you’re supporting). The easiest way to do this is to download the posters, totalisers and sponsorship forms from this website [link back to yha.org.uk/give/fundraise]. All our materials carry our logo and include our registered charity number.

Data protection

Make sure any electronic or paper records you keep about people involved in a fundraising event comply with the Data Protection Act.

  • Keep everyone’s data safe and secure.
  • Don’t keep information about people any longer than you need to
  • Don’t share data with anyone else without the individual’s permission.
  • More information can be found at the Information Commissioners Office.

Contact us

Email: [email protected]
Call: 01629 592726

Stay safe and legal