Additional Information for Fundraising Volunteers

Additional Information and Procedures for
Fundraising Volunteers
1.0 The Fundraising Promise
We Are Committed to High Standards
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We do all we can to ensure that fundraisers, volunteers and fundraising contractors working with us
to raise funds comply with the Codes and with this Promise.
We comply with the law including those that apply to data protection, health and safety and the
environment
We Are Honest and Open
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We tell the truth and do not exaggerate
We do what we say we are going to do
We answer all reasonable questions about our fundraising activities and costs.
We Are Clear
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We are clear about who we are, what we do and how your gift is used
Where we have a promotional agreement with a commercial company, we make clear how much of
the purchase price we receive
We give a clear explanation of how you can make a gift and amend a regular commitment
We Are Respectful
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We respect the rights, dignities and privacy of our supporters and beneficiaries
We will not put undue pressure on you to make a gift and if you do not want to give or wish to cease
giving, we will respect your decision
If you tell us that you don’t want us to contact you in a particular way we will not do so
We Are Fair and Reasonable
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We take care not to use any images or words that cause unjustifiable distress or offence
We take care not to cause unreasonable nuisance or disruption
We Are Accountable
If you are unhappy with anything we’ve done whilst fundraising, you can contact us to make a complaint. We
have a complaints procedure, a copy of which is available on request. If we cannot resolve your complaint, we
accept the authority of the Fundraising Standards Board to make a final adjudication.
Additional Information for Fundraising Voluteers _Updated August2016
2.0 Code of Conduct
Although membership of the Institute of Fundraising is not specifically required for volunteers, we
expect Fundraising Volunteers to hold themselves to a high standard of conduct in every aspect of
their interaction with the general public on behalf of the Charity. The following Code of Conduct is
based directly on the IoF Code of Conduct for Professional Fundraisers.
2.1 All Fundraising Volunteers undertake to:
 conduct themselves at all times with complete integrity, honesty and trustfulness;
 respect the dignity of their calling and ensure that their actions enhance the reputation of
themselves and Erskine;
 act according to the highest standards and visions of Erskine, their profession and
conscience;
 advocate within Erskine’s adherence to all applicable laws and regulations;
 avoid even the appearance of any criminal offence or misconduct;
 bring credit to the fundraising department and Erskine by their public demeanour; and
 encourage colleagues to embrace and practice this Code of Conduct.
2.2 They shall:
 not misuse their authority or office for personal gain;
 comply with the laws of the United Kingdom which relate to their activities, both in letter
and spirit;
 advocate within Erskine’s compliance with the laws of the United Kingdom which relate to
their activities, both in letter and spirit;
 not exploit any relationship with a donor, prospect, volunteer or employee for personal
benefit;
 not knowingly, recklessly or maliciously injure the professional reputation or practice of
other members of the fundraising profession;
 at all times act honestly and in such a manner that donors are not misled;
 not knowingly or recklessly disseminate false or misleading information in the course of their
duties, nor permit their subordinates to do so;
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not represent conflicting or competing interests without consent of the parties concerned
after full disclosure of the facts; and
not knowingly act in a manner inconsistent with this Code, or knowingly cause or permit
others to do so.
3.0 Gift Processing and Cash Handling Policy
International Statements of Ethical Principles in Fundraising
Volunteer Fundraisers responsibility regarding donations.
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Donations should be accepted if voluntary, in line with the goals of the
organisation and will bring not more than reasonable costs related to the
value of the donation.
Funds will be disbursed in accordance with the donor’s wishes, if expressed.
Funds will not be raised for the personal financial gain of the fundraiser or
the fundraising organisation the fundraiser works for.
Funds will be collected carefully and with respect of donor’s free choice,
without the use of pressure, harassment, intimidation or coercion.
Additional Information for Fundraising Voluteers _Updated August2016
For every gift and donation we receive, we record it on our internal database, Raisers Edge. This
allows us to keep a record of not only donations but of fundraising contact, for example, fundraisers
can log phone calls, fundraising packs sent, third party event details etc.
Knowing who has sent a donation to Erskine is vital, as by law, we must have a record of each
individual gift and donor. At times, we are required by our Finance Department and Auditors to
provide proof of donations.
We ask every donor for their name, address, contact telephone number and email address (some
donors prefer to have an email as thank you to save on costs).
Cash that Erskine and our volunteers receive from the public and fundraising events should follow
our cash handling process to ensure cash income is kept secure, is accurately recorded in the
accounting records and is banked as quickly as possible.
The following controls are recommended for cash receipts:
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At least two people should be involved in handling and recording the money received.
Cash receipts should be promptly recorded in the accounting records and banked as soon as
possible
Cash not banked on the day of receipt should be placed in a safe place or locked cash box.
Funds should normally be banked gross without deductions of any expenses or expenditure
If amounts are substantial insurance cover should be considered.
3.1 For income from general public:
We must be aware of every donation from the public. For example, if someone donated money to
you for Erskine and you bank the funds, we must be aware of their individual amount and their
contact details. In accordance with our Finance Department and Auditors, we must be able to trace
every donation and have the ability to thank the donor for their gift.
All income received by Erskine via a volunteer will be noted a ‘solicited’ by the volunteer. This
allows us to show the donation as income in the donors record and in the volunteers record with
Erskine. ‘Soft Crediting’ works by ensuring that credit is given to the volunteer, as without them, the
donation may not have come to Erskine.
We would also remind volunteers to ask the donor if they qualify for Gift Aid. Erskine’s fundraising
department will be able to send out a gift aid form to the donor and we can claim for a percentage
of their donation back from the government.
3.2 For public collections
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Collection boxes should be individually numbered
All collecting boxes should be sealed before use so that it is apparent if they
have been opened before they are returned
Collection boxes should be counted by a nominated person and in the presence
of the collector, who both should sign a receipt for the income
Additional Information for Fundraising Voluteers _Updated August2016
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Records should be maintained for each fundraising event, in sufficient details to identify
gross receipts (takings) and costs incurred.
3.3 For income from ticket sales:
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Tickets should be pre-numbered
Records should be kept of ticket numbers allocated to each person
Records should be kept of all tickets sold
Cash and unsold tickets should be collected and a reconciliation carried out of
receipts against tickets sold.
3.4 Using a pay in book
Using a bank pay in book for Erskine is an excellent way for volunteer to pay money to Erskine
efficiently. We would ask though, when paying in an amount that you provide a break down as to
how the money was raised and by whom.
We also ask that income should be placed with the bank within 48 hours (preferable 24).
Erskine are able to provide you with a total of funds raised by you, or solicited by you at any time.
Where fundraisers/volunteers receive cash outside normal office hours, the following guidelines
must be followed in respect of the safe-keeping of cash.
3.5 Cash held within vehicles
Cash (i.e. current notes and coins) to a limit of £10,000 is covered by Erskine’s insurance, whether in
an employee’s car or authorized volunteer’s car. However, this is subject to a number of persons
being present during the transit – see Cash Escort Requirements, below.
There is also a separate Limit of £300,000 in respect of Non-negotiable money i.e. crossed cheques.
Please note that this cover will not operate from any unattended vehicle i.e. if you are not in the
vehicle, the insurance is invalid. Do not leave cash in an unattended car – if travelling alone, we
recommend you ensure you have adequate fuel for your journey, accordingly.
3.6 Cash Escort Requirements
It is a condition precedent to liability in respect of loss of money in transit that the amounts shown
below are accompanied at all times until deposited in a secure area of Erskine’s premises or at the
bank by the stated number of escorts, being responsible able-bodied adult persons or a professional
security firm:
Up to £ 2,500
Up to £ 6,000
Up to £ 8,000
Up to £10,000
1 person
2 persons
3 persons
4 persons
Additional Information for Fundraising Voluteers _Updated August2016
in excess of £10,000
Security Firm (Current maximum £12,000 – can be increased)
3..7 Cash within Fundraiser’s home
Erskine provides Private Dwelling house insurance for an amount up to £2,500 to be kept in an
employee’s or a volunteer’s home, until such time as it can be banked/handed to Finance Dept.
If the amount received is in excess of £2,500, it should be split amongst several employees for safekeeping until Finance Dept is open. £2,500 has been specifically negotiated with our insurer and is
the maximum amount an individual fundraiser should take home.
Cash (i.e. current notes and coins) to a limit of £12,000 is covered by Erskine’s insurance, whether in
an employee’s car or authorised volunteer’s car.
There is also a separate Limit of £300,000 in respect of Non-negotiable money i.e. crossed cheques.
Please note that this cover will not operate from any unattended vehicle i.e. if you are not in the
vehicle, the insurance is invalid. Do not leave cash in an unattended car.
3..8 Cash recording from Volunteer Groups
Volunteer groups should follow all rules mentioned above, however, we ask that one person within
the group takes responsibility for the cash recording throughout the year. This should then be
presented and discussed at the groups AGM.
4.0 Raffle, Lotteries, Sweepstakes and Tombola’s
Raising funds for Erskine with a Raffle, a Lottery, a Sweepstake or a Tombola is easy to do, and many
people do it for us. Most people, however, don’t know that these are all forms of gambling which
are regulated by the Gambling Commission.
To safeguard you, those taking part, and Erskine we have put together the following guidelines to
keep you right.
Q. But it’s just a wee raffle, that’s not gambling is it?
I’m afraid it is… A raffle is a form of lottery – it’s gambling because:
 You have to pay to enter the game
 There is always at least one prize
 Prizes are awarded purely on chance
A raffle is a small-scale lottery where players buy a ticket with a number on it. The tickets are
randomly drawn and those holding the same numbered ticket win a prize. A sweepstake is another
version where, for example, the participants pay to randomly draw the names of a horse in a race.
The person who draws the winning horse wins the entry money. Other versions include tombolas often found at a funday or summer fete; but they all have something else in common: while there is
no maximum price for a ticket, in each lottery all tickets must cost the same. That way, everyone has
the same chance of winning for the same outlay.
Additional Information for Fundraising Voluteers _Updated August2016
The other thing they must have is that they take place at a non-commercial event, such as school
fetes etc. All the tickets sales and the draw must take place during the main event, which may last
more than a single day. Prizes cannot total more than £500.
Q. So do we need permission to run our raffle?
No, provided you follow these guidelines… You can sell raffle or tombola tickets to anyone, of any
age, but on the day of the event only.
Q. What about the Prizes, are there any restrictions?
No… Apart from the £500 limit, there are no restrictions.
Prizes can be monetary or non-monetary; they can be cash, goods or services. However, under the
licensing laws alcohol must not be awarded to anyone under 18, so bottles and the like go to adults
only.
Q. Can I sell tickets before the event?
A. No, otherwise it becomes a totally different thing… If you wish to sell tickets prior to an event, or
over a longer period of time it becomes a ‘Society Lottery’.
Q. What’s a Society Lottery - is it still a Raffle?
A. Yes, but it has different rules… When you want to sell tickets before the day of an event or draw
the raffle after the event, you can’t use ‘cloakroom’ type tickets, and it must be run under the
Lottery License held by Erskine.
You’ll need to have tickets printed for the raffle or prize draw, they must have specific information
on them, and can’t be sold to or by people under the age of 16.
Q. What has to go on the tickets?
A. Quite a lot… see below.
Q. Will I have to have tickets printed?
A. Yes… If you want to sell tickets for an extended period of time before the draw, they all must be
individually numbered and have the following information on them, somewhere:
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The name of the charity - Erskine is the trading name of Erskine Hospital.
(Scottish Charity No SC006609)
and/or the purpose of the lottery, if for example it’s for House Funds, or a
specific project
The date of the draw
The ticket price
The name and address of the organiser
Erskine has a Lottery License with Renfrewshire Council and details of the promoter etc are
held by the Fundraising Department.
There are also requirements to track the tickets issued, which numbers are sold and unsold, as well
as to send a return to the council detailing the profits made etc.
Additional Information for Fundraising Voluteers _Updated August2016
Since the legal responsibility falls on the shoulders of the promoter, we recommend you contact
Fundraising if you are contemplating a raffle which requires printed tickets.
Q. So I can’t do a big lottery like this then?
A. Of course you can… we just have to be careful that all the regulations are followed, to protect
you, the people who buy or sell tickets and Erskine itself. Just ask, we’re here to help.
Q. So I should contact you when I want to run a Raffle?
A. Yes, please… We can help you with additional information and answer other questions to
keep you right. Even if we can’t answer everything immediately, we certainly know where to go
find the answers.
When selling raffle tickets, they must all be the cost and have the full name, address and telephone
number of the person entering the raffle. Failure to have this information could lead to a prize being
left unclaimed. If a person isn’t there to claim their prize, it must not be raffled again.
Remember, if you want to raise funds to support Erskine, we’re here to help.
5.0 Recording Volunteer Activity
All fundraising activity within the team is recorded on Raisers Edge for reporting and monitoring purposes. A
great deal of effort is taken into providing these details on the following:
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Presentations/Talks
Home tours
Fundraising Pack Sent
Corporate Meetings
Merchandise Sent
Erskine Week Events
We record these details as it gives us vital information on the patterns during the year where our supporters
are more likely to take part in different activities. For example, from September-November, we see a hike of
85% in groups asking for presentations/talks. By recording each individual action, we are able to plan more
efficiently for this increase in activity.
We ask all volunteers, when working independently from an Erskine fundraiser, to fully brief them on who
they have been speaking or dealing with in order for the fundraiser to record these actions on our database.
Additional Information for Fundraising Voluteers _Updated August2016