FUNDRAISING POLICY

INTRODUCTION
Devon Communities Together (DCT) is committed to ensuring that fundraising activities are carried out in an ethical manner. We are committed to the highest standards of good practice throughout our fundraising activity to ensure we retain the trust and goodwill of the community. Fundraising activity is regulated by charity law and other legislation
including trading standards, taxation and gambling and DCT will ensure that all its fundraising activity complies with the relevant legislation, regulation and codes of practice. This policy applies to the Board, permanent and contract staff and volunteers.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to make explicit DCT’s position on fundraising and to document the standards expected in raising funds from the community.

FUNDRAISING STANDARDS
At all times DCT will adhere to the following standards:
• Fundraising activities carried out by DCT will comply with all relevant legislation and regulation and will adhere to the standards of the Institute of Fundraising.
• Any communications to the public, made in the course of carrying out a fundraising activity, shall be truthful, open and transparent, particularly in relation to the costs of any fundraising activity. A record of all such communications will be maintained by DCT.
• All monies raised via fundraising activities will be for the purpose stated and will comply with the organisation’s mission and purpose. A reasonable administration fee may be deducted from monies raised and where such fees are deducted these will be published in all relevant communications.
• All personal information collected by DCT complies with the Data Protection Act & GDPR, is treated as confidential and is not for sale or to be given away or disclosed to any third party without the consent of the individual concerned.
• Nobody directly or indirectly employed by or volunteering for DCT shall accept commissions, bonuses, gifts or payments from external parties for fundraising activities on behalf of the organisation.
• DCT will not solicit funds by ‘cold calling’ either by telephone or door-to-door.
• Fundraising activities will not be undertaken if they may be detrimental to the good name or community standing of DCT.
• The Board reserves the right to refuse donations where the Board believes the donation may not be an appropriate fit with the mission, charitable objectives and values of the organisation.

AUTHORISATION
All fundraising programmes, (appeals, legacies, Friends and Membership campaigns, Online Fundraising, arrangements with professional fundraisers and commercial partners) will require the approval of the Board, on the recommendation of the Enterprise, Marketing and Communications Committee. The Board in making its decision will consider the fit with DCT mission and charitable objectives, the financial and reputational risks. The Board delegates to the Chief Executive authority to approve small-scale fundraising which meet all legal requirements and the requirements of this policy e.g. a member of staff or volunteer who offers to raise money for DCT through a sponsored event. All such fundraising activity will be reported to the Enterprise Marketing and Communications Committee.

PROFESSIONAL FUNDRAISERS AND COMMERCIAL PARTNERS
DCT may from time to time choose to appoint a professional fundraiser or to work with a commercial partner (known as a commercial participator) having satisfied themselves that DCT is receiving a full and fair return from any such arrangement. Where the Board enters into any such arrangement the following will apply:
• A written agreement in place signed by all parties
• Disclosure of all fees etc.
• For commercial partnerships the percentage or precise amount that will be paid by the commercial participator to DCT

ACCOUNTING AND DISCLOSURE
All monies raised will be paid in to a DCT bank account before deduction of expenses and shown in the accounts as a gross amount, with deductions of costs and fees shown as separate expenditure. Where appropriate the opportunity to maximise donations should be undertaken e.g. via the Gift Aid scheme. Where a significant donation is received from a donor not known to DCT or in circumstances which raise concerns DCT reserves the right to make further enquiries before accepting the donation or may refuse the donations if satisfactory replies are not received to enquiries. In the event that there is a suspicion that the donation may be facilitating money laundering or criminal activity DCT is obligated under the Charity Commission’s guidance ‘Reporting Serious Incidents’ to contact the Police and the Charity Commission and disclose the donation.

ACCEPTING DONATIONS WITH CONDITIONS ATTACHED
From time to time a donor may offer a donation with conditions attached. Before accepting any such donation DCT will consider whether the condition(s) are compatible with the purposes, priorities and activities of DCT. At all times DCT’s policy is that the condition(s) of any donation should not undermine the independence of the organisation. DCT therefore reserves the right to refuse any donation whose condition(s) is not compatible with the ethos of the organisation or would undermine the independence of the board or the organisation. 

COMPLAINTS
DCT has a robust complaints procedure, which is overseen by the Operations Manager. DCT is committed to investigating all complaints thoroughly. Where we have fallen short we will apologise and seek to put matters right as quickly as possible. We recognise that not every complainant will be satisfied with our response and may wish to seek an independent body to investigate their complaint. DCT may therefore refer the complaint to the Fundraising Standards Board which is able to make an independent determination. The Charity Commission may become involved in a complaint about fundraising where it perceives that public trust and confidence is being damaged through the fundraising activities. The focus for such activity is limited to ensuring that the funds raised are used for charitable purposes and have not been misappropriated.