Raising funds for an individual

If you or your organisation is new to fundraising, there can be a lot to take on board.

But, don’t worry!

We provide a range of resources and support for those who are new to fundraising, whether you are working for a charity or volunteering.

There are many ways to fundraise for your chosen cause. You will need to think about what you want to achieve through your fundraising programme and decide on the best way to achieve that goal.

There are many different ways that you can go about raising money for charity. Some people fundraise on a voluntary basis while for many others, it is a challenging, fulfilling and worthwhile career. Fundraising is hugely versatile and varies widely from organisation to organisation, depending on the size, cause, and activity of the charity.

But, before you get started, here are a few questions you will need to think through and be able to answer:

Before you get started, there are a few simple principles to remember for good fundraising. Essentially, your fundraising should always be legal, open, honest, and respectful.  It’s about treating public honestly and decently, giving them the information they need to make an informed choice about their giving. 

Most of this is common sense, but it’s important to make sure you know the rules, particularly when it comes to specific issues like licences for public collections, how to handle donor data and protecting people in vulnerable circumstances. 

If you are volunteering for a charity, get in touch with the charity at the start as they are likely to be able to support you through the process. Find out more about volunteer fundraising. 

If you are a trustee, you have specific duties in relation to your charity’s fundraising programme.

With so many registered charities, why should potential donors choose your charity? You will need to establish a clear case for support that fits in with your mission and goals, ensuring that everyone in your organisation understands and can explain the rationale to others. Once you have a consistent case for support, you will be able to communicate this more confidently to others.

What do you hope to achieve from your fundraising programme and why? Think carefully about how much you need to raise and what this will enable your organisation to achieve. Your goals are important as they will provide a focus for any fundraising activity and form the basis of your strategy. This will also help you communicate to potential supporters the importance of their gifts.

There is no one size fits all approach to fundraising. A successful programme is likely to need to engage a range of supporters (individuals, businesses, or other partners) through a mix of fundraising activities.

Explore which channels feel right for your charity, talking with your peers at other charities about their experiences; their successes and their failures. Find out about any trusts or foundations or local businesses you might be able to apply to for funding. Above all, don’t be afraid of having fun and thinking of new, innovative ways of reaching out to potential supporters.

You can also contact your local Voluntary Service Council for help in identifying any trusts or foundations that may fund individual causes like yours. Find your local voluntary service council online or by searching via the National Association of Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA).

Everyone in a charity has a role to play in helping meet your fundraising goals. Talk to your colleagues and trustees about the approach you intend to take and why, ensuring that they feel engaged in the fundraising programme from the start and understand what they can do to support it. You may need the support of a fundraising specialist or third party. Find out more about working with third parties and trustees responsibilities for fundraising.

Starting to fundraise can be a daunting task, but there is plenty of support available within the sector and from us at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. Join us as a member, or book in for one of our training courses or conferences. Network with your peers through one of our regional or specialist interest groups.

While you can fundraise for charities that are not registered in the UK, there are some restrictions. You must avoid using words like ‘charity’ or ‘charitable’ to describe the fund. Instead, you need to give the name of the organisation that you are fundraising for and explain what it does.

In some cases, organisations based abroad may have offices in the UK or there may be British charities that could act as a strategic partner, which would give you more flexibility for your fundraising and help handle donations.

Search for a potential UK partner charity via the Charity Commission, Scottish Charity Regulator or Charity Commission Northern Ireland.

There are many ways to fundraise. Explore the best route for your objectives, depending on the timescale, expertise and resource available. Don’t forget to consider applying for grant funding too.

However you go about it, there are some issues that are particularly important to consider when fundraising for an overseas charity.

As with all fundraising, it is vital that you are open and honest about everything you do and donors are aware of where their money is going, so that they can make informed choices. If your appeal is for a specific project and you end up raising too much money, you would need to get permission from your donors to spend the money in another way. So, from the start, make sure you decide whether to state that funds are being raised for the general purposes of the cause or to restrict it to a specific project. Further guidance is available from our transparency and accountability guidance.

It is important to remember that tax reliefs on charitable giving (benefiting charities and donors alike) are only applicable on gifts to organisations registered within the UK.

Care needs to be taken when transferring money abroad. You will want to be able to reassure supporters and all stakeholders that the money will end up exactly where it is intended. We recommend you look at the Charity Commission’s guidance for charities working internationally.

For advice on transferring funds abroad, visit the Charities Aid Foundation.

If you are setting up your own fund or charity, you will need a separate bank account in the name of your fund and to seek advice from the Charity Commission.

Fundraising is regulated by the Fundraising Regulator – an independent, non-statutory body that regulates fundraising across the charitable sector in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

They set and maintain the standards for charitable fundraising in the Code of Fundraising Practice to ensure that fundraising is legal, honest, open and respectful to the public and investigate complaints from the public about fundraising (where those complaints haven’t been resolved by the charities themselves).

Fundraising regulation in Scotland is different to the system in place within England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Fundraising by charities only registered in Scotland is subject to Scottish charity law and the Scottish system of self-regulated fundraising through the Scottish Fundraising Standards Panel.

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Charity Commission for Northern Ireland

Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator

Advertising Standards Authority

Information Commissioner’s Office

Ofcom