What is a Solicitation Statement?

Solicitation statements are statements that commercial participators must give whenever they promote their goods or services on the basis that they will make contributions to a charity, before a donor gives any money or other property but can be given verbally or in writing.  These must outline the relationships between the commercial participator and the charitable institution they are fundraising for and explain how the fundraising will benefit the charitable institution.  These are summarised below with examples.  The full guidance contains more requirements - it is available on the Fundraising Regulator's website (Guidance for charitable institutions working with commercial participators).

What must a Solicitation Statement Include?

Solicitation statements for commercial participators working with charities must include:

• The name of the charity.
• If there is more than one charity, details of how funds will be shared and.
• The method that will be used to determine what will be given to the charity, based on whichever of the following apply.
  • The proportion of.
    • The price paid for the goods and services.
    • The profits.
    • Any other proceeds of the promotion or.
  • The amount of any contributions made in connection with the supply of the goods and services.

For statements where an individual is not physically present (a phone call) and for TV/radio must include that a donor can:

• Cancel the agreement (if relevant) by written notice to the commercial participator within seven days of receiving the written statement.
• Request a refund (if the payment has been made) by written notice to the commercial participator within seven days of receiving the written statement.

Example Fundraising Solicitation Statements

Here are 2 examples of what a solicitation statement could look like.

We are [company name] and we've been engaged by [charity name] to recruit supporters to make donations to the charity. We are paid  [£ amount], with our fee determined [explain basis of fee].

[Prize draw company name] will donate 50% of the profits from each prize competition to [charity name]. This is expected to be at least [£ amount].”

Additional Solicitation Statement Requirements in Scotland

Solicitation statements for commercial participators working with charitable institutions registered in Scotland must also state whether the commercial participator will receive any payments (and the method of calculating these payments, or the amount or estimated amount of these payments) from the charitable institution as part of this fundraising. Also, if a solicitation statement is made verbally, the commercial participator must inform the person making the payment that this information is available in writing upon request.

Questions and Answers (Q&As)

• Q - what is a solicitation statement?  A - solicitation statements are statements that commercial participators must give whenever they promote their goods or services on the basis that they will make contributions to a charitable institution.
• Q - when does a solicitation statement need to be made?  A - these statements should be given before the donor gives any money or other property.
• Q - what must be included in a solicitation statement?  A - statements must outline the relationships between the commercial participator and the charitable institution they are fundraising for and explain how the fundraising will benefit the charitable institution.
• Q - does a solicitation statement have to be in writing?  A - solicitation statements can be given verbally or in writing.