Kent Union: Ethical Fundraising Policy

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Kent Union: Ethical Fundraising Policy Introduction The Union welcomes and actively seeks fundraising, sponsorship, gifts and donations [all subsequent references in this Policy to “fundraising”, “sponsorship”, “gifts” or donations” applies equally to all four categories] from individuals, companies and other organisations, to support its work to deliver its charitable purpose. Purpose This Policy is intended to state Union policy with regard to fundraising and to assist staff and volunteers seeking to attract fundraising, and to ensure all fundraising is in accordance with the Union’s charitable purpose and its values, and conforms to the highest ethical standards. The Policy is intended to ensure clarity and transparency for all our stakeholders, and by adhering to our Ethical Fundraising Policy to minimise any risk of bringing the charity into disrepute as a result of collaborations with or fundraising from individuals or external organisations. Scope This Ethical Fundraising Policy applies to all trustees, career staff, student staff and volunteers, including sports clubs and societies, of Kent Union or Kent Union Trading Limited, or any future subsidiary entity of Kent Union. Ethical Fundraising Policy To ensure Kent Union can ensure the availability of funds to deliver its charitable purpose, the Union actively engages in maintaining and growing a broad base of funding sources via fundraising activities from external organisations and individuals, whilst adopting set criteria guiding our fundraising activities, covering:  

Acceptance criteria defining the principles we observe for fundraising or donations Avoidance criteria identifying the conditions under which we would not accept a donation, gift or other contribution with a financial benefit Ethical fundraising procedures

All fundraising should support the Union’s Strategy and be in keeping with its values, ethics and integrity.

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All trustees, career staff, student staff and volunteers involved in fundraising or the acceptance of gifts and donations (including gifts in kind) should ensure that they:  

Adhere to this Ethical Fundraising Policy Adhere to the Union’s Financial Procedures and any other relevant policies and procedures Act with fairness, integrity and in accordance with all applicable laws and the provisions of applicable professional codes of ethics and standards of practice

Acceptance criteria Under general principles of charity law, when deciding whether to accept any particular fundraising or donation, Kent Union Trustees have a duty to demonstrate that they have acted in the best interests of the charity, and that association with any particular donor does not compromise Kent Union’s ethical position, harm our reputation or put any future funding at risk. Kent Union complies with all relevant legislation. Kent Union accepts fundraising, donations and other forms of support such as volunteering or gifts in kind, from individuals, companies, and other organisations on the following conditions:   

There are strong grounds for believing the fundraising directly benefits our membership If a gift or donation is offered for a specific purpose then it must be for a charitable purpose of the Union It is feasible to apply the donation in a way that is consistent with the donor’s wishes Kent Union accepts a donation with any reasonable obligations attached, for example, requirements of reporting back to donors the public benefit achieved from the funding

Avoidance criteria Kent Union will not instigate fundraising or accept donations or support where any of the following criteria apply:   

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The source is known or suspected with credible evidence to derive from the proceeds of crime, or from illegal activity, or from pornography, or from unethical activity It has the potential to cause significant damage to the reputation of the Union or its relationships with its membership, its funding Universities or other stakeholders It derives from a source conflicting with Kent Union’s ethical values The funding is known or suspected with credible evidence to derive from or be closely associated with a regime known to be in violation of human rights, or from goods and services produced under conditions involving the abuse or exploitation of any person(s) If acceptance of a donation or sponsorship and any terms attached to it might lead to an undue and inappropriate third party influence, or impression of such influence, on the decisions or the independence of the Union It has the potential to create unacceptable conflicts of interest If the fundraising would conflict with Union Council policy Acceptance is likely to deter other investors or jeopardise existing and future relationships with other donors or fundraising sources Page 2

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Acceptance would involve onerous obligations, the cost of which would outweigh the benefits

In common with general practice in convenience stores, the Union sells tobacco in its Retail outlets in order to provide our members with choice, with individuals able to decide whether they wish to purchase these products. However, the Union will not seek or accept fundraising or donations from companies or organisations which actively promote or directly supply tobacco; nor will it seek or accept fundraising from companies or organisations which actively promote or directly provide gambling services. Donors sometimes wish to remain anonymous due to a desire not to exhibit their philanthropy publically, or for other reasons. The Union will not normally accept donations or fundraising where the donor wishes to remain anonymous, because such a donation may prohibit transparency of its compatibility with this Ethical Fundraising Policy, unless the Union is able to satisfy itself that the donation derives from ethical sources. Where a donor wishes to remain anonymous, the President and Chief Executive (subject to the approval limits for fundraising detailed below) will review the potential donation and approve or decline the donation or fundraising based on the principles detailed in this Ethical Fundraising Policy. Transparency Kent Union will undertake to communicate this Ethical Fundraising Policy to all its stakeholders, and undertake its fundraising activities in a transparent manner. Ethical Fundraising Procedures Policy Review This Ethical Fundraising Policy is subject to review and approval by the Board of Trustees every 3 years, or more frequently if circumstances require. Policy Administration The Business Development Manager will administer the Policy, reporting to the Deputy Chief Executive. Approval Limits for Fundraising   

Fundraising amounts between £10,000 and £20,000 require approval by the President and Director Group Fundraising amounts between £20,001 and £50,000 require approval by Finance and Risk Committee Fundraising amounts in excess of £50,000 require approval by the Board of Trustees

The Union’s annual block and ring-fenced grant funding settlement and additional amounts fundraised up to £50,000 from the University of Kent and the University of Greenwich are excluded Page 3

from the above approval process; amounts fundraised from the University of Kent and the University of Greenwich in excess of £50,000 do require approval by the Board of Trustees, in particular in relation to considerations of maintaining the independence and strategic objectives of the Union. Accountability All items fundraised for a defined specific purpose, and the corresponding subsequent expenditure extinguishing the fundraised amount, will be recorded separately with the Union’s financial accounting system, and be recorded as charitable activity and restricted funds in the annual financial statements. Gift Aid The Union is able to reclaim Gift Aid on any donation by an individual who has paid UK tax during the year to at least the value of the gift, and in addition has made a declaration to Kent Union that this is the case. There must be an audit trail back from each donor to a written declaration or confirmation of a verbal declaration. Evidence of such declarations is maintained by the Finance department. Gift Aid is claimed in accordance with HMRC Gift Aid regulations. Communications and Confidentiality All those involved in fundraising for Kent Union have a responsibility to donors as well as the organisation and so will adhere to the following procedures:Donors and prospective donors are entitled to the following, and these will be given promptly upon request:  the most recent Kent Union financial statements  a copy of this Ethical Fundraising Policy The privacy of donors will be respected. Any donor records that are maintained by Kent Union will be kept confidential to the greatest extent possible, and donor data held with be in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Donors have the right to see their own donor record, and to challenge its accuracy. Information collected by Kent Union is not for sale or to be given away or disclosed to any third party without consent. Donors and prospective donors will be treated with respect, and after initial contact Kent Union will honour any requests they make to:  limit the frequency of solicitations  not be solicited by telephone or other technology  limit the amount or frequency of printed or online material that they are sent Any communications to the public in the course of fundraising activity will be truthful and open.

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Reporting and Monitoring To carefully monitor any risks and ensure that fundraising is carried out according to this policy, Kent fundraising activity will be reported annually to the Union’s Finance and Risk Committee. Kent Union’s Business Development Manager is responsible for collating this information from throughout Kent Union and submitting this in the annual report under the following headings:   

Fundraising income amounts and principal sources Plan of fundraising activity for the following year Future opportunities and recommendations Impact the fundraising activity has had on our members

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