News story
Eid-al-Adha: safer giving
Advice from the Charity Commission on how to give safely during Eid-al-Adha.
Eid-al-Adha is a time of very generous charitable giving. People have a right to feel confident that their generosity is not abused and that their donations are being used for legitimate charitable purposes.
As part of its campaign #changethepicture the commission has produced a video for encouraging people to check before they give. It illustrates how people can help make sure their generosity makes a real difference to those in need by giving to legitimate, registered charities.
Top 10 tips from the commission to make sure you give safely:
- Before giving, check the charity’s name and registration number against the online charity search tool: Find a charity - register of charities
- Fundraisers require a licence from the local authority (or the police in London) to collect in a public place. Check that they have this. If the collection is in a privately owned place, check that they have the owner’s permission.
- When approached by collectors, check whether they are wearing a proper ID badge and that any collection tin is sealed.
- If in doubt, ask the collector for more information - a genuine fundraiser should be happy to answer questions and explain more about the work of the charity.
- Genuine fundraising materials should feature the charity’s name, registered name and a landline contact number. Be wary of those that list only a mobile number.
- Make sure when you give to radio and television appeals that the process is secure. Ofcom lists the rules for radio and television charity appeals on its website: Licensing - Ofcom website.
- Take care when responding to emails or clicking links to a charity’s website to ensure that they are genuine. Instead, search online for your chosen charity to check you have the right web address. For further guidance see: Guidance for donors - Get Safe Online.
- Carefully review collection bags for clothing and household goods to ascertain whether they are from a genuine charity.
- After making these checks, if you think that a collection or appeal is not legitimate, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 and inform the Charity Commission: Action Fraud - Police.
- Don’t be pressurised to give to a collection immediately. If in any doubt, donate directly to charity.
Safer giving posters
Published 24 September 2015