Raising funds for Odyssey

Ideas

You may have all kinds of creative ideas for raising funds for Odyssey, from coffee mornings or 'bring and buy' sales to major sponsored events. You may have influence in an organisation which could give money to Odyssey and be able to negotiate sponsorship, or put us in touch with the right people. We will be delighted to support you in any venture which will help Odyssey.

Coordination and Legal Issues

Whatever ideas you have, it is essential that you let us know about your plans. This is partly to avoid conflicting with some other event which is planned and partly so that we can help with information and advice. Charity fundraising is regulated by law and you may not collect in the street for instance without obtaining a local authority licence, neither may you use Odyssey's logo or registered charity number without our prior permission. Particular areas which could give rise to difficulty are 1. Insurance, 2. Trading standards and 3. Offering alchohol as prizes.

The fact that you may be doing an activity to raise money for Odyssey does not mean that you will be covered by Odyssey's insurance policy. You will need to take steps to get appropriate cover (reasonable expenses may be covered from the money raised) quite apart from ensuring that you have made proper provision for the safety of what you are doing.
If you are selling things to raise money for Odyssey you are just as liable to trading laws as any business. Should you sell food which poisons a child for instance, you can expect to be sued by its parents or prosecuted by the Environmental Health Department. There are no exceptions to these laws, so you must bear it in mind when deciding what to offer. Further information can be obtained from your local Trading Standards Office.
Of course you need a licence if you want to sell alcohol (apply in good time). Did you also know that you may need one if you propose to give alcohol as prizes in raffles, tombolas, etc? The police have been known to raid charity events where these prizes are offered. This is a particular problem if tickets have been sold to children as you have, strictly speaking, sold alchohol to a minor, even if they do not win. Please read information on lotteries and the law at the website of the Gaming Board of Great Britain. Notes on offering alcoholic drinks as prizes are provided under each category of lottery.

Giftaid

Odyssey is registered with the Inland Revenue for the 'Giftaid' scheme; this remarkably simple scheme means that if a donation is made by a taxpayer we can reclaim the tax and the value of the donation is increased by 28%. You can download a form here, or make a giftaid donation online now. A giftaid declaration can also be incorporated into sponsor forms or could apply to promise auctions. All that is required of the donor is that they give their name and address and tick to say that they are a taxpayer. As long as the information is sent to Odyssey with the money raised we will be able to claim back the tax. For further information on Giftaid contact us.

Giving through your Self Assessment Tax Return

You can now nominate Odyssey to receive tax repayments due to you as donations. You will find Odyssey and its code number on the list of participating charities on the Inland Revenue website. The code is: KAR03WG. This can be entered in the appropriate place in your tax return. The repayment will automatically be made direct to Odyssey.

Money for Mobile Phones

Odyssey belongs to a mobile phone recycling scheme run by Greener Solutions. This not only helps to reduce the enormous waste caused by the 20,000 tons of phones thrown away in Europe each year, it also raises money for Odyssey; we get £2 for each phone sent in whatever its condition. If you have an old phone at home, download a freepost label here and send it in. Ask your friends to do the same and if you are in a position to collect numbers of old mobiles, you could start a box scheme; when you have 30 or so we can arrange to have them collected free of charge. Contact us for further information and help.