The first rule of fundraising is to have a great time, but there are a few others you need to bear in mind too. Here’s how to keep everything above board.

Health and Safety

• Keep your personal safety in mind while you’re planning and on the day. We can’t take any responsibility for your activity,  so we recommend doing your own risk assessment to prevent risks and legal issues. This is important even if your event will take place somewhere you know really well like your workplace or local café. 
• Types of events that need a risk assessment include solo challenges (like a solo walk, run cycle, swim or drive), anything involving food or drink, and any in-person event involving the public.
• Visit mind.org.uk/resources to download our risk assessment template and for more guidance on when to do a risk assessment.
• If you’re selling food at your event, get in touch with your local council for advice.

Children and young people

• If you’re under 16, we’ll need a parent’s or guardian’s consent for you to fundraise for us. Please get in touch with us for a copy of our consent form.
• If you’ll have children at your event, make sure they have permission to take part, and an adult to look after them. You should carry out background checks if adults are looking after children unsupervised.

Competitions, prize draws, raffles and lotteries

• They’re brilliant for raising money, but there are lots of important rules about how lotteries, draws and raffles can be run. You might need to apply for a license to hold a raffle or lottery at your event. Find out more from the Gambling Commission – gamblingcommission.gov.uk
• You can’t sell tickets to anyone under 16.
• Online raffles, lotteries and prize draws are also subject to rules and regulations. Your local council can give you more guidance. 

Licences and insurance

• If you’re holding an in-person event involving the public, you’ll need Public Liability Insurance. We can’t accept any responsibility for your event, and it won’t be covered by Norfolk and Waveney Mind’s insurance. 
• Make sure you’ve got any licences from your local authority you need in place. Examples of this are a gambling licence for certain raffles or prize draws, a public entertainment licence to put on entertainment (like music, dancing or a film screening) at a venue that doesn’t already have a licence, and you’ll also need a licence to sell alcohol. You’ll also need a licence to collect money in a public place.

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