It costs more than £4.7m per year to run Katharine House Hospice, which equates to £12,995 per day! Katharine House receives funding from the NHS to cover a third of these costs, but together we need to raise more than £3m every year to make sure we can continue to provide our vital services. We can’t do this without the ongoing support of our local community.  

In supporting us with fundraising, you will be handling cash and other donations including collecting, counting, storing, transporting and banking. We’ve put this guidance together to ensure the safety of our supporters and to protect money raised. As a charity we are regulated by the Charity Commission and the Fundraising Regulator and need to ensure that we are compliant in all that we do.   

Handling cash 

Our guidelines 

• All cash handling must be carried out in a safe and secure environment. 
• Cash should be collected, counted, banked and recorded by two unrelated individuals.  
• All cash received should be stored securely (ideally locked) until banked or handed over to Katharine House Hospice, ideally within two working days and no more than five working days.  
• Cash should be bagged and banked following bank guidelines, and transported in bags that help disguise the cash (such as a shopper or carrier bag).  
• Children under 16 MUST NOT be left with any responsibility for handling money and/or responsibility for counting collected money. 

Counting and storing cash 

• At events there should always be two unrelated individuals present to take care of finances.  
• Collection tins and buckets must be delivered back to the fundraising team with seals intact.  
• You should organise in advance a secure place to be used for the finance area that is away from public areas. 
• Unsecured cash must NEVER be left unattended (including in a vehicle). 
• If you take cash home with you after a collection or event, then please make sure it is stored within a locked cupboard, or it will not be insured against loss.  

Transporting cash 

The following cash limits and the number of people who MUST accompany the cash in transit is as follows: 

Number of people that MUST accompany the cash in transit 

• Up to £5,000: 1 person 
• £5,001 to £7,500: 2 persons 
• £7,501 to £10,000: 3 persons  
• Over £10,000: by an independent specialist security company carrier 

Keeping yourself safe 

Your safety is our primary concern. If you are ever in the unfortunate position of being challenged whilst handling cash, we ask that you hand over the cash without resisting and report any theft or loss to the police within 24 hours of the incident, as well as informing the Katharine House Hospice team.  

Physical demand  

Collection buckets and tins can become very heavy once full, so think about having pre-sealed spares.  

Insurance 

We can only provide insurance for funds up to £500 at any one event. When handling cash above £500 at an event then please split the funds between yourself and another event organiser to ensure that your cash is insured. If you are anticipating your event will raise above £500 in cash or are concerned about cash security, please contact us for further guidance.  

Paying in money

Please take time to consider how you are going to pay your money in before you collect. Please do not place yourself at risk. If you are in any doubt, you can contact Supporter Care for advice by email at [email protected] or phone 01684 816484 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm).  

Online fundraising platforms

If you have set up a fundraising page online, the money people donate will come straight to us from your chosen platform, so you don’t have to worry about doing anything. Just please let us know when you’ve finished all of your fundraising so we can send you a thank you for the final amount. 

By post

Make cheques payable to Katharine House Hospice Trust and send them to: Katharine House Hospice, Aynho Road, Adderbury, Banbury, OX17 3NL. Please remember to include details about your fundraising activity or event name. If you have a sponsorship form, make sure you send that to us together with your cheque. Please do not send cash through the post.  

Over the phone

You can pay using a debit or credit card by calling 01295 816484, Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm. 

Online banking

You can transfer funds to us via online banking. Please contact the fundraising team for our bank details on 01295 816484, Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm.

We will provide you with a reference number that enables us to match your donation and link it to your details.  

Via our website

Pay in your fundraising online by visiting the donate page on our website. Or just click the ‘Donate’ button in the top right-hand corner of this page.

You can pay in a ‘Single donation’ by adding your donation amount in the ‘Other’ box. Please make sure you tell us why you’re paying in money in the ‘Leave a comment with your donation’ box so that we know why you’re donating and can send you a thank you. Please note, we are charged a small amount when you pay donations in via our website, so if you can pay them in another way, please do so.  

In person

You can drop into the hospice during the week to give your forms and money to one of the fundraising team. Please contact us first to advise us when you’re planning to come in and to check someone is available. If you drop in out of hours, you can leave it with a receptionist, or one of the nursing team. Make sure they know that it needs to come to the fundraising department. 

Thank you!

Meet Hannah and Linda

Hannah and Linda are our Supporter Care Officers. If you should call the fundraising team or write to us, Hannah and Linda will most likely be your first point of contact.

< Go to the Supporters fundraising kit

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