Cash collections

Bucket or cash collections allow charities to collect high volumes of smaller, one-off contributions and to raise awareness of their cause.

For donors, bucket collections are a chance to engage with charities. Also, giving a one-off cash donation is an opportunity to make a contribution without the requirement for longer-term donations, such as direct debits.


I want to go straight to the code and read what it says about public collections.

Read the code

I want to go straight to the code and read what it says about public collections.

I have a concern about a particular cash collection

Make a complaint

I have a concern about a particular cash collection

For fundraisers

Charities can collect cash on private property, such as supermarkets or railway stations, as long as they have permission from the owner or manager. For public sites, such as the street, you need the permission of the local authority or, in London, the Metropolitan Police. For more information about bucket collections, see section 8 collecting money or other property. Depending how you administer your fundraising, you may need to consult code sections regarding working with volunteers and children, or third parties, and the payment of fundraisers.

For information on claiming GiftAid on cash donations, see the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s guidance.

Some private site owners, such as Transport for London, only allow collections by organisations who are registered with the Fundraising Regulator. Find out more about registration on our website.

Whenever you are carrying out fundraising activities, you should make sure that you are familiar with the key principles and behaviours set out in the code and considerations about the handling of donations.

For the public

Collectors must have an ID badge including details of their licence to collect. Any containers for collecting cash must be sealed and not damaged. Any fundraising materials they hand out should include the charity name and number, as well as a landline contact number.

There are also rules about how the buckets should be opened and the money counted.

For more information about bucket collections, see section 8 collecting money or other property. If you suspect that an appeal is not legitimate, contact the charity to see if they are collecting in that area and the local authority (or in London the metropolitan police) to check licenses are in place. If the appeal is not legitimate, report it to the police.

Cash collection resources

Guidance

Tips for giving safely to charity: advice for the public

Be alert to common fraud tactics when giving in-person or online. This will give you confidence to donate to genuine causes.
Read more