Now the trees are turning and the nights are drawing in, thoughts turn to Christmas preparations. For many charities, this is an important season for fundraising, as donors are often very generous at this time.
Charities need to be very careful in formulating any appeal, as the statements they make will set the legal terms of the donation. It can be time-consuming and expensive to unpick those terms if unintended consequences develop.
Charities should consider and communicate:-
- Is it an appeal for general funds or a specific purpose?
- If a specific purpose, what will be done if too much or too little money is raised for the specific purpose?
- Whether certain contingencies need to be provided for e.g. providing alternative equipment to that shown in the promotional photo.
Failure to address the above could leave a charity having to return monies to donors or to apply to the Charity Commission for a Scheme, both of which could cause adverse publicity.
If you need advice reviewing the wording of an appeal she can be contacted on 01726 74433 or email enquiries@stephens-scown.co.uk