Fundraising for a good cause or disaster relief

Working with an existing fundraiser

Organising a successful fundraising appeal or event involves complying with fundraising laws, strategic planning, clear communication, and dedicated effort. This is the case even if you're just thinking about doing some crowdfunding as a response to a disaster.

Before you decide to launch a fundraiser, consider partnering with an existing fundraiser rather than taking on all the responsibilities yourself. It may be better to donate or offer your services to an existing charity.

You could also approach a charity to see if your planned fundraising activities can support them before starting your own. Even if you partner with an existing fundraiser, it may be possible to create a separate named fund under their organisation.

Benefits of working with an existing fundraiser

The benefits of working with an existing fundraiser are: 

• Raise more money. Members of the public, government agencies and other organisations who donate money for charitable purposes, may prefer to give their donation to fundraisers with a proven track record, rather than a new fundraiser.
• Less paperwork. If an authorised NSW fundraiser allows you to fundraise on their behalf (in writing), then you won’t need to apply for an authority. An authority is like a permit or licence to conduct a fundraiser.
• Greater percentage of donations going to the intended recipient(s). It is less effective to have several groups doing the same work for the same cause. Not only can it be confusing to would-be donors, but it duplicates running costs – meaning less money goes to those in need.
• No financial reporting. There are several financial reporting requirements involved in running a fundraiser. If you are working with an existing charitable fundraiser, all record keeping and financial reporting responsibilities are undertaken by them. To learn more about the obligations of fundraisers, visit key responsibilities for fundraising.
• Fewer responsibilities. The duties and responsibilities of fundraisers are significant and wide-ranging and need to be taken seriously. You need to be prepared to invest the necessary time and effort to understanding and carrying out these responsibilities. 

A full overview of the responsibilities of fundraisers is available in the Charitable Fundraising Guidelines.

Beware of bogus fundraising or scammers

Fake charity scammers may pose as a real charity in person or online. 

Before you deal with a fundraiser, make sure they are genuine:

• Check for existing NSW fundraisers on Verify NSW
• Check for national fundraisers on the ACNC website

Fundraising on your own

If you are asking the public for donations to support the community for a good cause or because of a disaster, then you are conducting a charitable fundraising appeal.

This means you must comply with NSW fundraising laws, no matter how big or small your planned fundraiser is. The laws apply even if you are 'crowdfunding' – a form of online fundraising that uses certain websites to ask for donations from the public for appeals.

If you decide to run your own fundraiser, you will need to:

• comply with the key responsibilities for fundraisers
• comply with the National Fundraising Principles
• assess whether you need to apply for an authority to fundraise. An authority is like a permit or licence.

Visit apply for an authority to fundraise for more information on the steps required to obtain an authority to fundraise.