Accepting, refusing and returning donations

Raising money is crucial, but sometimes there are other considerations that can be more important. The value of a donation may not be worth the cost in potential loss of public trust and confidence in the charity, a detrimental impact to the reputation of the organisation, or a conflict with the charity’s ethics and values which could lead to a loss of support in the future. You need to be thinking about what is in the best interests of the charity overall.

This resource has been put together to help charities, fundraisers, and trustees make those decisions. It outlines the legal principles that you need to know, goes through the questions that you will need to think about, and provides practical help and advice so that you can make the right decision for your charity.