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Ethical Fundraising Policy

1. INTRODUCTION

The Board of Farleigh Hospice is committed to ensuring that fundraising activities are carried out in an ethical manner and within the guidance of the Institute of Fundraising, the Fundraising Regulator and the Information Commissioners Office. This policy outlines the way that fundraising and the receipt of donations at Farleigh Hospice will be carried out. It also covers expectations on how we will deal with vulnerable people who wish to donate to us.

2. DEFINITIONS

The purpose of this policy is to clarify Farleigh Hospice’s position on fundraising practice and to document the standards expected in raising funds from the community.

3. SCOPE

This policy applies to the Board, all staff and all volunteers in any location.

4. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

All staff and volunteers are responsible for adhering to the policy and associated policies mentioned within.

5. POLICY

Farleigh Hospice will adhere to the following standards:

  • Fundraising activities carried out by Farleigh Hospice will comply with all relevant laws, and including the Fundraising Regulators Code of Practice
  • Any communications to the public made in the course of carrying out a fundraising activity shall be truthful and non-deceptive.
  • All monies raised via fundraising activities will be for the stated purpose of the appeal and will comply with Farleigh Hospice’s stated mission and purpose.
  • All personal information collected by Farleigh Hospice is confidential and will not be sold, given away or disclosed to any third party (exception being connected and approved companies who will need the information to send mailings on our behalf only) as stated in Farleigh Hospice Privacy policy.
  • Nobody directly or indirectly employed by or volunteering for Farleigh Hospice shall accept commissions, bonuses or payments for fundraising activities on behalf of the organisation.
  • No general solicitations shall be undertaken by telephone or door-to-door. (This approach will only be made by those who work on behalf of the Farleigh Hospice as part of Local Hospice Lottery Ltd)
  • Fundraising activities will not be undertaken if they may be deemed detrimental to the good name or community standing of Farleigh Hospice.
  • Farleigh Hospice will not make applications to trusts or grant making bodies where there is a potential risk to our brand reputation.

Accepting and refusing donations

Donors usually have the best interests of the charity at heart however Farleigh Hospice will only accept donations from companies, organisations and individuals the Board considers ethical. We will accept all donations unless:

  • The donation is given from someone in a vulnerable position who lacked mental capacity at the time of making the donation
  • The donor attaches conditions in return for their gift which are contrary to our objectives
  • The donor makes demands upon us which are unreasonable in relation to the nature of the support
  • The money has been raised through illegal or criminal means which could subsequently be challenged in courts
  • The cost of accepting a donation would be greater than the donation itself
  • The donation consists of goods, services or property which we cannot lawfully use, convert, exchange or sell in direct support of our charitable objectives
  • It can be seen that a personal benefit to an employee, volunteer, or trustee is associated with the donation
  • The money has been raised through means the Hospice does not believe to be morally acceptable
  • The activities of the donor are directly hostile to our objectives
  • Accepting the donation will divert from our stated aims and priorities

Vulnerable Persons

We are aware that there may be some situations when people may donate who are vulnerable and we review any donations made when this is highlighted to us, when we think the person is in a position themselves of vulnerability or if we think the donation will lead to additional hardship for the person making the donation. We will follow the guidelines issued by the Institute of Fundraising and follow the regulations set by the Fundraising Regulator in all circumstances.

6. TRAINING

The fundraising code of practice is highlighted as part of induction training and is part of the Fundraising Teams’ on going practice.

7. MONITORING / AUDIT

Farleigh Hospice is registered with the Fundraising Preference Service and receives weekly notification of any complaints made regarding the way in which Farleigh Hospice fundraises. In addition to this, all complaints received directly are logged and investigated in line with the Farleigh Hospice Complaints policy including a report to the Senior Management Team with the outcome of the investigation. Any serious complaints will be reported to the Fundraising regulator, the charity Commission and/or the ICO dependent on the nature of the complaint. A report will also be presented to the Board of Trustees. Anyone not following this policy will be subject to an investigation as part of the Farleigh Hospice disciplinary policy

8. REFERENCES

Fundraising regulator code of practice

https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/code

9. FARLEIGH HOSPICE POLICIES RELATED TO AND REFERENCED IN THIS DOCUMENT

Farleigh Hospice Privacy statement
7 Conduct & Capability
11 Complaints Policy
Safeguarding

10. APPENDICES

None

11. EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT

During the development of this policy the hospice has considered the needs of each protected characteristic as outlined in the Equality Act (2010) with the aim of minimising and if possible removing any disproportionate impact on staff or volunteers for each of the protected characteristics, age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation. No detriment was identified.