Charity Fundraising Events: Legal Requirements in the UK | LegalDocuments.co.uk

Overview

A charity fundraising event is any organised activity run by or on behalf of a charity with the purpose of generating funds or awareness for its charitable objects. That covers a huge range of formats: sponsored runs, gala dinners, quiz nights, auctions, street collections, community fêtes, online appeals tied to a live event, prize draws, and more.

What unites them legally is that they involve the public giving money (or something of value) in response to an appeal made for charitable purposes. Because the public is being asked to part with money, several different legal regimes can apply at the same time.

Charity law sets the trustees' overarching duties to act in the charity's best interests and protect its assets and reputation. Licensing law controls how you collect money in the street or run a raffle. Data protection law governs what you do with the names, emails and payment details you gather.

Health and safety, food hygiene, insurance and even intellectual property rules may also come into play depending on the event. Understanding which rules bite on your particular event is the first and most important step.

Key steps

1. Define the event and identify applicable rules. Start by writing down exactly what the event involves: the activities, the venue, how money will change hands, and whether members of the public will be invited. From that description you can map which legal regimes apply, whether that's licensing, gambling rules, food hygiene, data protection or trustee-specific charity law duties. Skipping this step is where most problems begin.
2. Secure permissions and licences early. Some activities need permission from your local council or other authority, and timescales for applications can be weeks or months. Street collections and house-to-house collections typically require a licence or permit from the council, and events held on public land usually need the landowner's consent. If you plan to serve alcohol, play live or recorded music, or provide late-night refreshment, a Temporary Event Notice or premises licence may be required under the Licensing Act 2003.
3. Handle raffles and prize draws correctly. Raffles, tombolas and prize draws are regulated as lotteries under the Gambling Act 2005. Small raffles held entirely during a single event can often run as incidental non-commercial lotteries without a licence, but anything involving ticket sales in advance, online participation or larger prizes may require registration with your local licensing authority or a licence from the Gambling Commission. Check the rules carefully before tickets go on sale.
4. Protect personal data from the first sign-up. Every ticket booking, donor form and mailing list brings you within UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Decide what information you genuinely need, tell people clearly how you'll use it, keep it secure, and have a sensible retention period. If you're emailing supporters to promote the event, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) also apply, and you'll usually need consent or a properly applied soft opt-in.
5. Manage risk, money and trustee responsibilities. Trustees remain responsible for the charity's conduct even when volunteers or third-party fundraisers are running the event. Put written agreements in place with professional fundraisers, carry out a risk assessment, check insurance cover, safeguard vulnerable participants and make sure funds collected are banked promptly with a clear audit trail. Keeping records isn't just good practice; it's how you demonstrate compliance to the Charity Commission if questions arise later.

Common questions