FUNDRAISING FAQ

How do I submit a Fundraising Request?

Please complete the 'Fundraising' section of the Committee Admin Request Form to tell us more about your proposed activity and ensure you have filled in an Activity Proposal Form if required.

We'll use the information you provide to review and approve or provide feedback on your fundraising plans within 10 working days.

Once your fundraising has finished, we'll also refer back to this Fundraising Request when your group submits a Charitable Donation Request through eActivities.

Can we fundraise for our own Student Group?

As your student group sits under Imperial College Union's charitable status, you can fundraise for your own group - just make sure it's clear to anyone donating that the money is being raised to support your student group.

Please complete the 'fundraising' section of the Committee Admin Request Form to tell us more about your proposed activity.

Any charitable funds raised will be paid into your SGI account.

Can our Group fundraise for another registered UK charity? 

Yes!  There are over 160,000 registered charities in the UK and generally, you may only raise money for UK-based charities. 

To research a charity and to check whether it’s registered you should use the either the Charity Commission, the Scottish Charity Regulator and/or Charity Commission for Northern Ireland websites.
England and Wales: Search the charity register - GOV.UK
Scotland: OSCR | Home
Northern Ireland: Charity search | CCNI

The register of charities across these sites will allow you to look up any UK based registered charity and amongst other things look at their income & expenditure, where they work, and what amount of their turnover is spent on charitable activities.

Can our group fundraise for a registered UK charity and our own group at the same time?

Yes. You can split the funds raised between a registered UK charity and your student group, providing the other organisation is a UK Registered Charity.

However, you must clearly advertise before any donations are collected how the funds will be split (for example, 50% to the charity and 50% to your student group). This ensures donors know exactly how their contribution will be used.

Please complete the 'Fundraising' section of the  Committee Admin Request Form to tell us more about your proposed activity

Can our Group fundraise for a charity based abroad?

Potentially! If you are looking to raise money for a charity based abroad, get in touch with them; lots of charities have UK-based partners. If you intend to raise money for any organisation without a registered charity number please speak to the Student Activities Team first to ensure we'll be able to support your efforts.

Can our group fundraise for an organisation that isn't a registered UK charity?

No. Student groups can only fundraise for charities that are registered in the UK. If the organisation isn't a registered UK charity, we won't be able to approve the fundraising request.

If you're unsure whether a charity is registered, please contact the Activities Team before submitting your request.

 

Can we use crowdfunding websites?

No, student groups should not currently use crowdfunding websites to raise funds.

We have had groups use crowdfunding platforms in the past, but they can make it difficult for the Union to correctly account for the money received so for the 26/27 academic year, fundraising in this way is not permitted.

We are exploring ways that the Union could support fundraising and crowdfunding more centrally in the future.

Can we collect fundraising money through our own bank account, PayPal, Revolut or other payment service?
No. Fundraising carried out by your group must use payment methods approved by the Union. You must not collect money through a personal bank account, PayPal or any other external payment or crowdfunding platform unless this has been specifically approved by the Union.

How do I set up a JustGiving page?

If you want to raise money for an external charity, we are currently working on introducing JustGiving as an option for student group fundraising this academic year.

We will publish a new article with further guidance on how to set up and use JustGiving once this option is available.

Please do not set up a JustGiving page on behalf of your group until further guidance has been published.

What wording should we use when collecting donations?

Please ensure that the following information is clearly visible when Fundraising:

'This is a voluntary donation to [charity/cause]. I understand this is purely a donation and I will not receive any goods, services or other benefit in return.'

Is there a different process for my regular fundraising activity? (e.g. Friday Prayers)

No. There is no separate process for regular fundraising collections. You should continue to follow the Union's normal process for collecting and banking fundraising income. If money is collected as part of a larger established collection, such as Friday Prayers, the whole amount can be banked together without requiring a separate donation letter for each individual contribution.

Can we run a raffle or lottery?

Raffles and lotteries are regulated by the Gambling Commission, so you may need a licence depending on how your raffle or lottery is run and some types of lotteries are exempt from licensing requirements. For example, an incidental lottery (a lottery held as a secondary activity at an event that not require a licence if it follows specific rules) may apply to your event if it is run to raise money for a charitable cause

For an incidental lottery:

• Tickets can only be sold at the event and during the event.
• The draw must take place during the event and cannot be carried over to another event.
• No more than £100 can be deducted from the proceeds for running costs.
• No more than £500 can be spent on prizes.

Societies and groups can run private raffles for their own members, or a one-off raffle at a single event, without needing a licence, provided the relevant rules are followed. If you're unsure whether your planned raffle qualifies for an exemption, please contact the Union before advertising or selling tickets. 

Do we have to spend donations on what we told donors they were for?

Yes. If you tell donors that money is being raised for a specific purpose, you are bound by Charity Law to use the funds for that purpose. For example, if you advertise a fundraiser as being to buy new equipment, the money raised should be spent on that equipment.

If you are fundraising for a specific purpose, make sure your communications also explain what will happen if you raise more or less than your target. This helps ensure donors understand how their money will be used.

If you are fundraising for your group generally, you have more flexibility over how the funds are spent, provided this is consistent with your group's charitable purposes and applicable Union/charity rules.

Do I need a donation letter for donations?

A donation letter is required for any single donation of £100 or more. This provides a record of the donation and helps ensure it is properly documented. For further information on accepting larger donations, please see our Guidance on Charitable Donations.  

How should we record money if we're taking both payments and donations?
If your fundraising activity includes both sales and voluntary donations, you must keep the amounts identifiable separately. These should be recorded separately on the eActivities Banking Record.

How do we give the money we've raised to our chosen charity?

As Imperial College Union is a registered charity, we need to keep clear records of all donations made by student groups.
All charitable donations must be made through eActivities and will be reviewed by the Activities Team within 10 working days.

To submit a charitable donation request:

• Log in to eActivities and navigate to > Finance > Expenditure > Charitable Donations.
• Complete the form and submit your request for approval, making sure you've uploaded supporting evidence.

Our Groups chosen charity isn't listed in eActivities. What should I do?

If the charity you'd like to donate to isn't already available in eActivities, you'll need to request that it's added before you can submit your charitable donation.

In eActivities, select the Request a New Charity tab and provide the following information:

• The charity's full name
• The charity's address
• The registered charity number
• A link to the charity's entry on the Charity Commission website
• The charity's bank account details for payment by BACS

Once you've completed the form, click 'Submit Charity.' We'll review your request and notify you by email once the charity has been added and is available to select. If you have any questions about a pending charity donation or registering a new charity, please contact icu.finance@imperial.ac.uk.

Can my group spend money to put on a Fundraising Event for another charity?

Yes, your group can use funds from your SGI to organise a charity fundraising event providing you have sufficient funds, although the  Union is unable to provide any additional financial support for fundraising events. 

Please note the following:
- You can only donate the profit from your event. For example, if your group spends £100 to run the event and raises £200, only the remaining £100 profit can be donated to charity.

- Your event should be planned with the aim of making a profit for the chosen charity, so you should keep costs as low as possible to maximise the amount donated. Please plan your event carefully. Fundraising events can sometimes cost more than expected, and if your event makes a loss, your student group will be responsible for covering it.

- If you expect to spend more than £500, you'll also need to complete an Event Budget as part of the approval process.

Please note:  if your Group have a donation bucket for a charity, the full amount collected should go to the charity.

Can we sell products and call the money a donation?

No, if you are selling a product, ticket, service or other item in exchange for money, this is income from a sale, not a donation. You should not describe a payment as a donation simply to avoid VAT or other financial requirements.  

Wording a product purchase as: By purchasing this product I confirm I am making a donation to X and do not expect anything in return”  does not make the payment a donation if the person is receiving a product in return.

Example: Cake sale

If your group sells a cake for £2, the £2 is income from a sale because the person receives a cake in return for their payment.

You cannot advertise this as a £2 donation where the person receives a cake in return.

However, if you are running a genuine donation collection alongside the cake sale, you can accept additional voluntary donations. For example, someone could buy a cake for £2 and choose to make a separate £1 donation. The £2 cake purchase is a sale, while the additional £1 may be treated as a donation

Example: Charity concert

If your group charges £5 for entry to a charity concert, the £5 is income from a sale because the person is paying in exchange for entry to the event. You cannot advertise this as a £5 donation where payment is required to attend the concert.

However, if your concert has free entry and you invite attendees to make voluntary donations, these payments may be treated as genuine donations. For example, someone could attend the concert for free and choose to donate £5 at the door. The £5 is a donation because the person was not required to pay it in order to attend the event.

Similarly, you could have a paid ticket for the event and provide an opportunity for attendees to make additional voluntary donations. The ticket payment is income from a sale, while any separate voluntary donation may be treated as a donation.

Still have questions? Check out the rest of our knowledge base articles or submit a ticket to the Activities Team.