Code of conduct for charity collections

We expect that all charity collectors behave appropriately while collecting money, complaints received about a collection may lead to you/ your charity being refused permission to collect in the future. Collectors must be able to produce their permit on request whether by an enforcement officer, the police, street/ business wardens or member of the public.

It is an offence to collect money – or goods for resale – without a valid permit – anyone found to be collecting, without a licence or the relevant permission will be acting in contravention of s.5 of the Police, Factories etc. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1916 and could be liable to be prosecuted and to run the risk of a fine of up to £200. It is a further offence under section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006 to collect money by false representation. If convicted of this offence you may receive a custodial sentence, an unlimited fine, or both.

Street Collections

While fundraising, you must not:

• act in any way that might reasonably cause members of the public to be or become startled or anxious; act dishonestly or manipulatively, or deliberately try to make a potential donor feel guilty; or act in any other way that a reasonable person might consider would damage the charitable institution’s reputation. This includes, lewd or aggressive behaviour, including swearing, while collecting; putting undue pressure on members of the public to donate; exploiting your position for personal gain (for example, asking for a job, asking someone for a date, or asking for a discount on goods or services). You must not suggest to any member of the public that the conversation you are attempting to start is not about money or that you are ‘not fundraising’.
• You must avoid causing an obstruction, congestion and nuisance to the public. You must not deliberately block the path of members of the public.
• You must not approach members of the public who are – seated, unless the seating is part of a charitable institution’s promotional stand; or in queues, unless the queue is directly related to the fundraising activity.
• You must not knowingly approach people who are carrying out official duties, such as uniformed officials while they are on duty or people who are clearly working. You must not obstruct, interfere with or disrespect members of staff from local businesses.

You must carry out all collections in line with the terms of the relevant permit or licence. You must also make sure that:

• you carry out due diligence to check that a collector is a fit and proper person to collect, collectors are at least the minimum age allowed to fundraise in the relevant country and that they meet the obligations they have by law;
• you provide collectors with any official materials or authorisation needed under a licence or permit,
• ensure that the charity your are collecting for is clear and visible to the public either by wearing a charity t-shirt or signage of some kind, or your collection bucket having a very visible sign for your charity. You must make sure that materials include contact details for the charity.
• You must record the issuing and return of all materials connected with the collection.

House to House Fundraisers

All collections must follow the Fundraisers code of Conduct for House-to-house collections: https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/code/specific-fundraising-methods/collecting-money-or-other-property#behaviour-when-collecting-money-or-other-property