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An ethical fundraising policy template for UK charities and non profits to manage donations, protect donors and beneficiaries and ensure that your fundraising complies with Charity Commission and other regulator guidance and ethics requirements.
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This ethical fundraising policy sets out how we manage the ethical issues within fundraising.
Specifically, we aim at all times to be open, honest, fair and to operate in a legal way that meets not only the law, but also fundraising regulation and best practice, including the Code of Fundraising Practice.
Everyone who is involved in fundraising has a responsibility to be aware of and comply with the ethical issues and procedures in this policy.
Supporters have a right to expect us to provide clear, truthful information on our work, including reporting on how we spend the funding we are given and managing donors' information responsibly.
We will always be honest about what we can achieve when asking for funds, submit realistic budgets, use the funds for the purpose intended and ensure that we provide any reports required, on time.
We will comply with the guidance issued by the Charity Regulators and UK law, including in respect of openness and honesty with our supporters and members of the public.
We will respect the privacy and contact preferences of our donors. We will respond promptly to requests to cease contacts or complaints and act to address their causes.
In seeking donations, if an individual shows signs of possible vulnerability, we will:
We:
How we represent our beneficiaries, in our communications, is always respectful of them and portrays them in the way they would wish to be seen. We will only use personal information that they have given consent for and for the purposes they have agreed and will not disclose anything that might put them at risk, particularly children and vulnerable people.
We have zero tolerance for abuse, including discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment, not only for fundraising staff and volunteers, but for anyone who is involved with our charity. We will maintain a culture of respect and equality, will ensure that there are processes to raise concerns that everyone is aware of and is confident to use and we will deal with any allegations of abuse promptly and sensitively.
We will ensure that we take reasonable steps to protect people involved in fundraising from harm and harassment while fundraising. We do this through.
When carrying out risk assessments we include relevant risks to fundraisers and others. For example, lone working, high-risk locations or times, safeguarding vulnerable individuals (such as minority groups, women, and young people), health and safety concerns, activities that involve alcohol and any occasions where our work touches on emotive/contentious issues.
We will undertake reasonable due diligence of donors, to ensure they don't hold views or are involved in activities that might be incompatible with our role and damage our reputation. In terms of donations, we will ensure that any gift is safe to accept and, doing so, would be in the best interests of your charity. We will also consider issues, such suspicious donations, or managing large anonymous gifts, or those from vulnerable individuals.
We abide by the law which requires us, in deciding whether to accept or refuse a donation, to consider which action is in the charity's best overall interest. We have adopted a Refusals & Acceptance of Donations policy, which covers this in detail. You can download this from within the Charity Excellence system.
We will not partner with any organisation that produces goods/services or acts in a way that is contrary to our charitable objects, or values.
We are aware of and comply with the Charity Commission RS2 – Charities and Commercial Partners. We will ensure that any commercial agreement represents a fair deal for the charity and.
We will disclose any commercial partnerships in our Annual Report.
If supporters wish their donation(s) to be used in a specific way, or for a specific purpose, they may make a restricted donation by providing written instructions with their donation. We will always respect this.
The trustees are aware of and will comply with Charity Commission guidance CC3a, regarding trustees responsibilities, particularly in relation to always acting in the charity’s best interests and managing any conflicts of interest. The trustees are also aware of and follow the 6 principles in Charity Commission 20 (Charity Fundraising: a guide to trustees duties).
We will ensure that everyone is aware of and consistently complies with the Fundraising Regulator guidance on fundraising behaviours and respond promptly and effectively to any fundraising complaints.
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This ethical fundraising policy guide is for general interest only and does not constitute professional legal or financial advice. I'm neither a lawyer, nor an accountant, so not able to provide this, and I cannot write guidance that covers every charity or eventuality. I have included links to relevant regulatory guidance, which you must check to ensure that whatever you create reflects correctly your charity’s needs and your obligations. In using this resource, you accept that I have no responsibility whatsoever from any harm, loss or other detriment that may arise from your use of my work. If you need professional advice, you must seek this from someone else. To do so, register, then login and use the Help Finder directory to find pro bono support. Everything is free.
